Questions to Ask During Interviews

01/29/2013

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You have landed the interview. Congratulations. Now to prepare to land the job.

At the end of most interviews, the candidate is usually asked if he or she has any questions for the interviewer.  The answer should be yes.

There are several tactics to ask a meaningful question.  For instance, it is an opportunity to connect with the interviewer and ask them something like "What do you find most exciting about working here?"

Alternatively, you can use the chance to show off your ambition and ask something along the lines of "What are opportunities for training and career advancement?"  This question also demonstrates that you are thinking of long-term commitment to the company.

If you haven't had an opportunity to demonstrate your familiarity with the company, you may want to ask about something you saw on the company's website that drew you to the company.

Ultimately, you want to make a great first impression and have a strong close to the interview so be prepared with a couple of questions.
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Illinois Employment Law 101: At-Will

01/17/2013

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Illinois is an employment at-will state. This means that an employer may fire an employee at any time for any reason at all (or without any reason at all). There is no law against unfairness.

However, an employee cannot be fired for an illegal reason such as discrimination, retaliation, or because an employee took FMLA leave. There are other reasons that are also illegal. To learn whether a particular firing was illegal, you may wish to talk to a employment lawyer about the situation.
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Additional hint

09/07/2012

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While you take notes about events that are happening at work (see our 8/26/12 post), try to collect the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of potential witnesses.  If your employer fires you, it is unlikely that you will be able to  will not be able to gather that information in the future and having people who can verify what happened to you can be very helpful.  Like your other notes, keep this information in a safe place.
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Employment Problem? Helpful Hint.

08/26/2012

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When you are facing an employment situation that is worrying you, it may be a good idea to keep notes about the behavior that you believe is inappropriate. Try to take those notes immediately after the events happen and keep those notes at home in a safe place.  You should include facts like who was present, when it happened, and what happened in detail.

You will not likely have as good a memory about the incidents in the future and this can help you remem
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Resume Tips

12/12/2011

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With high levels of unemployment, you need to make sure that your applications stand out from the crowd - in a good way - not because of a glaring problem.  Be sure to avoid these issues:

1.  Honest Content.  You may have an employment gap.  You may have some other concern.  Regardless, you should be honest about your background and experience.  Do not overstate your qualifications or positions.

2.  Spelling & Grammatical Errors.  Have a friend proof read your resume!  Asking a friend to review your resume means you are less likely to have spelling or grammatical errors.  Employers only have moments to make determinations about you and will make snap decisions based on these errors.

3.  Visually Complicated.  You want to limit the number fonts you use, multiple sizes of fonts, borders, or long blocks of texts.  Make sure that your resume appears professional.  Use standard colors for your ink and paper.

4.  Focus Content.  Not only does the layout help convey information quickly, but the content needs to be focused so that employers can gather the important information first. Employers pour over numerous applications and you need the important information to stand out quickly.

5.  Too General.  Not personalizing your resume for each employer can  reduce your changes of getting the job. Research the employer and reference goals and values that are important to that employer.  This research shows the prospective employer that you took the time and effort to focus on the particular position.
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