Career

During my early career, I remember being excruciatingly nervous for job interviews. My hands would sweat, my heart would race, and my mind talked in circles for days. The day of the interview was flat-out awful. One time, prior to an interview officially starting, the recruiter was making typical small talk, probably trying to calm my very apparent nerves. Because I use humor to diffuse situations when I am nervous, I made a lame attempt at a joke, and for some reason, stated there were only 356…

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, my first job was with a major rental car company. I found the entry-level job by reviewing the “wall of employers” outside of the university’s career services office. Upcoming graduates could sign up for interviews and submit a resume (on paper, of course), waiting anxiously for a phone call with an interview day and time. 

I knew very little about this company prior to the interview, and it did not seem to matter. The interview went really we…

Let’s face it - small business owners have a lot on their plate. In fact, that may be the understatement of the year, especially in our current business climate! If you have decided it’s time to outsource operations support tasks, like bookkeeping or social media management, now is a great time to connect with virtual assistants (VAs). Finding a VA is not hard - in fact, it’s almost too easy these days, given the growth in the VA industry. Placing an ad on Indeed or even your business Facebook p…

Virtual assistants have a variety of options when it comes to working their businesses. In most cases, you would be a contract employee to your clients, and you would likely work virtually. You could be a one-woman (or man) show, or alternatively, could work with other VAs who are subcontractors for your business. But did you know that the virtual world has its own staffing companies? Yes, it’s true! As a VA, you could opt to work with a Virtual Assistant agency.  

What are the benefits of work…

Have you ever considered starting your own small business? If so, you know the thoughts surrounding a new business venture can be really overwhelming. 

What kind of business do I start? 

Is now the right time to begin? 

Can I really do it?

I had those same exact questions. As my business grew, I began working with virtual assistants (VAs) to support me in a variety of ways. And you may have many skills that could lead to a successful VA biz. But is now the right time? Do small business owner…

After having read thousands of job descriptions in my recruiting career, I must say I always enjoy seeing that bullet point, “Other duties as assigned,” at the end. Does that statement exist as a way of the HR Manager or Hiring Manager covering their you-know-what? Yes, it is. That simple statement makes it acceptable to ask existing employees to do additional work that was not discussed in the interview process. It gives the manager something to point to when they request someone to add more du…

By Jill Lutz and Christopher Brenchley

Even before COVID-19 changed the employment landscape for practically everyone, finding a job within the skilled industrial trades has been evolving for quite some time. With the growing use of applicant tracking systems (ATS) in many mid- to large-sized companies, applying for and landing the next best job can be challenging if prospective candidates aren’t using technology to their advantage. According to research conducted by the résumé optimization pla…