Workplace Discrimination Hard To Prove
April 30, 2009 by Patricia Wilson
Filed under Employment Discrimination
Comments Off
A difficult question to answer is the one where you wonder if you have a workplace discrimination case. Unfortunately it often takes a team of lawyers working around the clock to prove an instance of workplace discrimination.
There are a few issues that lawyers look for when they are examining a workplace discrimination case, and the main issue that they are searching for is why the employee was fired from or not hired for a position in the beginning.
The key to any workplace discrimination case is asking ‘why.’ Why was this person not hired? Why was the person fired? There are a multitude of reasons why a person might not be hired or be fired, but only a few are legally actionable. If the employer wanted to hire his sister-in-law for the same position that you were applying for, he doesn’t have to hire you over her.
On the other hand if your employer finds out you are homosexual and the next day he fires you, you may very well have a good court case.
The reason as to ‘why’ your employer made the decision is the question you have to answer. If you can prove the why and it is definitely a discrimination case, then you can act.
Job Searching or Career Searching?
April 19, 2009 by Patricia Wilson
Filed under Job Search
Comments Off
While many people just search for a job, there are certain people that search for the perfect career opportunity. For many job hunters a career is much more than a job, it means that the person is involved and dedicated to their work and actually enjoys the challenges and rewards that the work has to offer. If you want more than just a plain old job, here are some tips on finding the perfect career opportunity
One of the best ways to find the perfect career opportunity is to figure out what you really would like to do. Many times we choose a job based on proximity, salary or schedule. Finding the perfect career opportunity takes more work, don’t just settle for the first job you are offered, work hard to find the position that you always dreamed of.
Another great tip is to network with people in the area that you would like to work with, knowing when opportunities arise is half the battle. If you are actively searching for a career and not just complacent in your job, you can usually land a great career opportunity in 6 month to a year period of time.
You might also want to try career placement services. Many placement services deal in specific areas of expertise. Lots of jobs are not advertised publicly, finding a head hunter that can land you the perfect career opportunity is priceless. If you are looking to find the perfect career opportunity, take a look at the above tips.
Using Employment Websites For Job Searching
April 14, 2009 by Patricia Wilson
Filed under Job Search Online
Comments Off
Employment websites are becoming increasingly popular. Websites such as monster.com and hotjobs.yahoo.com bring employers and job seekers together. Monster and HotJobs are just two examples of the many job search engines available to online job seekers. By using these websites, job seekers can put themselves in connection with virtually thousands of potential employers. However, just because these websites supply the user with access to potential employers there is no guarantee the job seeker will find a job through one of these websites. There are some tips that can give the job seeker a better chance at being selected for interview and even getting hired for a job. This article will provide some of these tips to help the reader stand out from the crowd of other prospective employees who are using the same website.
Employment websites put job seekers in connection with thousands of potential employers. However, they also put potential employers in connection with thousands of job seekers so those who are really serious about wanting to find a job have to know how to stand out from the crowd before they even meet the potential employer. The best way to do this is with a resume that is really polished. Job seekers should invest as much time as necessary to really fine tune their resume to not only showcase their previous work experience but also define their qualifications and skills. The resume should also be crafted to define the type of job the user is seeking. This is important because job seekers who do not do this will not stand out from the other qualified applicants.
It is also important to create a unique cover letter for each job application. Doing this makes it obvious that the job seeker is really interested in the position and not just sending a cookie cutter cover letter to every potential employer listed on the website. In the cover letter the user should clearly state why he is the right candidate for that particular job. This can be accomplished by carefully reviewing the required skills listed in the job advertisement and highlighting how the applicant has demonstrated these skills in past work experiences. The user should also mention the exact position the applicant is applying for and the name of the company to make the letter more personal and specific.
Users who rely on employment websites to find potential employers should also realize the competition, especially in this economy, is going to be stiff for every available job. For this reason it is critical to pay close attention to the details of the job advertisement. Care should be taken to note the qualifications and applicants should only apply if they are a suitable match for the employer. This will save the employer and the job seeker a great deal of time because the employer will not have to wade through resumes from under qualified candidates and the job seeker will not waste time crafting a cover letter for a job he is not qualified to perform. Perhaps in a stronger economy employers may be willing to take a chance on an under qualified candidate but this is not likely with the current unemployment rate.
Finally, when using unemployment websites to find potential employers, the job seeker should be thoroughly familiar with how the website works before they begin applying for positions. This is important because potential employers can make a number of mistakes which negatively impact their chances of getting the job if they do not follow instructions carefully. For example a company may list their name, website and contact information but may prefer applicants to apply through the employment website. Applicants who bypass the application link on the employment website and send their resume directly to the potential employer are likely to have their application discarded before it even reaches the hiring manager. Likewise some employees may ask candidates to include specific information with the application and those who do not include this information may be immediately disqualified from consideration. For these reasons job seekers should understand how the employment websites work and should follow all instructions included in the job advertisement.
Your Blogging and Privacy Rights In The Workplace
April 10, 2009 by Patricia Wilson
Filed under Employment Law
Comments Off
Privacy rights in the workplace are crucial issues that should not be overlooked. Employees and employers alike deserve to have their confidential home lives respected. Today’s society offers some complexities that will be discussed briefly in this article. Our privacy is quite valuable but there are occasions when discretion is compromised.
This is especially true when employers and employees choose to put information out on the Internet. Any curious person can find information on an individual no matter what privacy rights in the workplace are established. Blogging can be a hazard to a person’s discretion.
We all have privacy rights in the workplace and the United States Constitution guarantees that. But what about a person’s right to keep a personal blog? Some reports offer information that individuals may lose a job or may be denied a position because of the content of their personal Weblog.
In order to assure that your privacy rights in the workplace are kept you may want to take some precautions when starting a blog. There are a handful of choices you can make to assure that you can share your thoughts freely without compromising your privacy. Following are some simple solutions to your online confidentiality concerns.
Why not start an anonymous blog that offers no clues as to who you are? This is the ideal approach for many bloggers who want to enjoy freely sharing thoughts and ideas without the worry of losing their privacy rights in the workplace. While freedom of speech is a right in itself there are times that you want to protect your privacy as well as share your opinions.
When you freely put yourself out there on the Internet, you are in essence giving up part of your confidentiality in the process. An anonymous blog with a fake identity is a wonderful approach to protecting your privacy rights in the workplace. This practice is common among editors who want to vent but don’t want to pay the consequences of expressing their frustrations online.
You can also choose to keep your own identity if you want. This is especially important to people who want to maintain personal blogs without compromising their privacy rights in the workplace. All you need to do is make your blog assessable to approved visitors only.
The complexities of privacy rights in the workplace in the age of the Internet go far beyond blogging. For now you may want to keep yourself appraised of the current trends in this ever changing subject.
Tips for Searching and Finding a Job Online
April 4, 2009 by Patricia Wilson
Filed under Job Search Online
Comments Off
The Internet is a great source for those who are looking to change careers or for finding a job. Job seekers may be unsure of where to start their job source. They may also not understand how to apply for jobs online. Fortunately it is not very difficult to find a job online if the job seeker knows what they are doing. With so many job search websites out there and literally thousands of jobs posted online every day the process of finding a job online can seem extremely daunting.
The best tip for job seekers who are hoping to find a job online is to be persistent. This is one aspect in which searching for a job online is no different than searching for a job through more traditional methods. It is unrealistic to expect your dream job to be just sitting there waiting for you the minute you log onto your first job search website. It is certainly possible that you will get lucky and this will happen but it is not likely. For this reason you should be prepared to spend a great deal of time searching for jobs online before you find the right job. You should also be prepared to not be hired for the first opportunity you find.
Competition for jobs offered online is very high especially in today’s economy with the unemployment rate so high. For every job posted online there may be hundreds, if not thousands, of applications from highly qualified candidates. For this reason it is very important to make a really good first impression with your application materials. This may include your resume, cover letter and any other forms required by the potential employer. You should make sure all of these materials are free of errors, highlight the necessary skills you possess and really highlight the reasons why you are a well qualified candidate for this particular job. Resumes and cover letters should not be generic. Instead they should always be tailored specifically for the position the job seeker is applying for.
It is also very important to realize that just because a job search is being conducted online it does not mean the job seeker can be too casual in his approach to applying for open jobs. He may be able to search for jobs from his home office and in his pajamas but all communication with potential employers should be completely professional. It may be tempting to take a more relaxed approach when sending emails to a potential employer because emails are not usually as formal as other types of communication. However, during the process of a job search you should avoid doing this because it is not considered an acceptable practice and it may result in you not being seriously considered for a job you really want.
When searching for jobs through online resources it is very important to be creative in your thinking. Years ago when job seekers relied almost exclusively on newspapers for job advertisements it was fairly easy to scan all of the available job openings. However, with the sheer magnitude of job openings posted online this is simply not possible. For this reasons job seekers have to really know how to find jobs for which they are well qualified. Searching for jobs by title, keyword and skills are all useful practices. Most job seekers forget to use keywords related to the job they are seeking and their skill set but doing this may result in the job seeker missing out on a lot of opportunities. Becoming a little more creative in your thinking, noting important keywords used in the type of job advertisements that interest you and applying these keywords to your own job searches will result in greater success in your online job search.
Networking Online For Your Job Search
April 1, 2009 by Patricia Wilson
Filed under Job Search Online
Comments Off
One of the best things the Internet does is enable people to connect. There are websites which put those who share career interests in contact with each other. Through these websites Internet users can communicate with others in their own industry or in an industry they hope to break into. These websites are essentially the cocktail parties of our generation. However, users of these websites should exercise caution when using the Internet to network. This article will provide some useful tips for how to successfully network online for the purpose of finding a job.
One very important tip we can offer for networking online is to keep all communications professional. This is very important because Internet users never really know who they are going to encounter when networking online. Failing to maintain an air of professionalism while networking online can really negatively impact an Internet user’s chance of landing a job because they will not be taken seriously. Another reason why it is so important to avoid unprofessional behavior when networking online is it may be possible for potential employers to access these unprofessional communications for years to come. Unlike an inappropriate comment made at a cocktail party which may be forgotten over time online comments may be available for all to see for awhile to come.
Another tip for networking online for the purpose of finding a job is to cast a wide net. Internet users should not be afraid to reach out in as many ways as possible to network with those in the same career field. This does not mean you should register with every career networking website around and begin posting your contact information and career details with reckless abandon. However, it also does not mean you should be overly cautious and optimistic about the types of contacts you make. Obviously you should make efforts to network with those in your direct industry but you should also consider networking with those in related fields or fields which often work in close conjunction with members of your field. This is important because these individuals are likely doing the same type of networking and can put you in contact with influential people in your own industry.
It is also extremely important to avoid burning bridges when you are networking online. It may be tempting to cut ties with someone who has said something negative about you or someone who has offended you in some way. This can be tempting because the Internet is so expansive that you may think you will not likely encounter this person again. However, even though the Internet is enormous the size of your industry is a greater indication of whether or not you will encounter these individuals again. If you are in a relatively small industry it is very likely you will encounter this person again and again during the course of your career. It is also likely that you have common friends, acquaintances and even colleagues. For this reason you should avoid these types of relationship breaks.
When networking online you should always remember to avoid speaking negatively about your previous employers. This is a problem many job seekers make and it can really make a bad first impression on potential employers or on those who may be in a position to put you in connection with influential people in your industry.
Finally, those who are networking online for purposes of career advancement should be careful of networking websites which allow users to remain anonymous to a certain degree. This is important because it is possible you may encounter someone from your own company who is also networking online. This can be damaging to your career because if your company learns you are looking for a new job, it can negatively impact your job status.


Subscribe and Receive our Free Report.
