The Career Center Network’s mission is to helpstreamline the recruiting and job search experience by providing resources, training, and connections for both employers and job seekers. Our resource portal is an ongoing compilation of best practices crafted from first-hand experience of employers, counselors, and job seekers. If you have any questions or ideas for articles please contact Sherry Bruck, Career Center Operator at sqbp@westchestergov.com.
Job Seeker Resource Articles
What Recruiters Look for in Candidates
Recruiters look for a mix of hard skills, soft skills, and cultural fit when evaluating new hires. We talked to three employment counselors with the Westchester-Putnam Career Center Network (WPCCN) to get the latest tips and best practices when searching for a job. Here are the key things recruiters typically focus on.
Best Practices for Following Up on Your Job Application
You submitted a cover letter and resume for a job opportunity that fits your skillset and experience perfectly and received an automated email confirming receipt. Two weeks have passed and you still haven’t heard from a real person. It can be disconcerting, but there are many possible reasons for the lack of a human response.
Why do I Need to be on LinkedIn?
People who bundle LinkedIn with the other social platforms are ignoring one of the most empowering professional networking tools of our time. It is the only social media site dedicated to you as a professional, whether you are an employee or an employer. Here are the ten most common questions and misperceptions.
Align Your Resume to the Job Description
Working on our resume can be overwhelming and often becomes a much bigger a task than it needs to be, but getting started is as simple as going online to the career page of the job you are applying to.
Using Certifications as a Tool for Career Advancement
Earning a professional certification can help you advance in your career by adding credentials to your qualifications. To earn a certification, you typically must pass a test or demonstrate a skill.
Preparing for a Promotion
Most people aspire to an upwardly mobile career path, with a well-defined promotion ladder to climb. Promotions are a typical way to measure success, which includes ascending to higher ranks with an increase in salary, position, responsibilities, benefits, and status.
Negotiation Tips for More than Just Salary
For those of you who might have missed it, there is a new salary transparency law that went into effect November 6, 2022. This new law requires Westchester employers with at least four employees to disclose a minimum and maximum salary range for job, transfer, or promotion opportunities “performed within Westchester County, whether from an office, in the field, or remotely” in all job postings.
Career Path Tip: A Shift in the Job Search Mindset
Oftentimes, job seekers see the hiring process as a one-way street where the employer has all the power and is calling all the shots, but in today’s marketplace this is far from the truth.
Tips for Including Vaccine Status on Resume
The pandemic continues to change the workforce landscape in many ways, one of which is the requirement for new hires to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Employer Resource Articles
A Shift in the Hiring Mindset
You’ve been searching for the right employee(s) to join your organization, but due to the national labor shortage it’s been more of a challenge than expected. You increase wages and beef up the benefits package in the hopes it will increase qualified applications, but still no luck. So what do you do now?
The Importance of an Online Career Page
An online career section of a company website used to be considered optional and nice to have, but since the pandemic changed the hiring process, it has become the foundation of an employer recruitment marketing strategy.
Job Descriptions are Effective Tools for Management and Strategy
There are many reasons to have up-to-date and accurate job descriptions, especially when there is some sort of disruption or change in the business environment happening—like COVID-19.
Developing a Pipeline in a Tight Job Market
There is much currently being written about the labor shortage that is occurring and the natural tendency has been to blame generous Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for demotivating job applicants.
Actionable Tips for Building a Diverse Workforce
Employers have been hearing a lot of about DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) hiring practices but many may nod like they understand, but in actuality have no clear plan on how to execute the ideology on a day-to-day basis.
Map out Internal Career Pathways to Identify Skills Gaps
Most people strive to have a career rather than just a job and it’s common for career counselors to map what is called a “Career Pathway” which outlines the positions, salary, and training required to advance in a particular industry
The Importance of Training Employees
The workplace changed drastically this past year with rapid technology advances and flexible hybrid staffing models implemented to protect employees while maintaining efficient operations.
What Employers Need to Consider with the New Salary Transparency Law
A new law requires Westchester employers with at least four employees to disclose a minimum and maximum salary range for job, transfer, or promotion opportunities “performed within Westchester County, whether from an office, in the field, or remotely” in all of its job postings.
Tips for Managing Virtual Meetings
Owners, managers and HR leaders have transitioned from the temporary “make do” mindset and implementing permanent management policies and procedures that accommodate the flexible hybrid staffing models that sprung from the COVID-19 emergency.
