Online Job Hunting Guide

Forbidden Questions about Race

Examples: What is your skin color?
What is your race?
Is your spouse Caucasian/Hispanic/African American/Asian, etc?

Exceptions: There are no fair questions about race in an interview or application, but an employer can allow you to voluntarily indicate your race on your application.

Forbidden Questions about National Origin

Examples: You sound like you have an accent; where are you from?
Where were you born?
Are you an American citizen?

Exceptions: Employers are required to hire only those employees who can legally work in the United States. For that reason, employers can ask whether you are eligible to work in the United States.
Suspect Questions about Age
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects workers over 40 in private companies of twenty employees or more and government organizations.
Examples: When were you born?
When did you graduate from high school?
How old are you?

Exceptions: The act does not prohibit interviewers from posing questions about age, but does prohibit discrimination on these grounds unless age directly affects the job. An employer can rightfully inquire whether the candidate meets the minimum federal age requirements for employment (usually 14-17 years old).

*to be continued*

by mheo soriano

Let’s say that you are now fully ready for the interview: the company was impressed with your online resume and you were immediately contacted; it’s as if the job is already yours for the taking. But before you start celebrating, you still have to get through the most important part; the actual interview itself.

Here are some things to remember during an interview online/or in person:

Be formal, show courtesy to everyone

To start things off, be courteous with everyone in the office (if a personal interview) as they may become colleagues in the future.

Offer a hand shake to the interviewer(If a personal interview). Proper greetings will emit an aura of professionalism which is essential to build a rapport with the interviewer. If rapport is developed, the interview will be a lot easier to get through. The interviewer is not your enemy, he is not there to criticize you but to measure your compatibility with the job.

Be calm and comfortable

A job interview is more like of a conversation than an interrogation; it is a process of determining whether you really are fit for the job or not. There is no need for you to fear anything. Just relax and be attentive to the whole interview. Express everything you say as clear and as possible because jittery and uncertain answers may just cause a bad impression. Be Cool.

To be continued…

Forbidden Questions about Family Situation

Examples: Do you have small children?
Are you planning to have children soon?
What is your marital status?
What is your maiden name?
Are you pregnant?

Exceptions: Employers can inquire whether you have ever worked under a different name or whether you have personal responsibilities that could interfere with requirements of the job like travel or overtime hours.

Forbidden Questions about Sexual Orientation and Political Affiliation

Executive Order 13087 acts as a guideline against sexual discrimination or party discrimination in the federal government.
Examples: Are you straight or gay?
How do you feel about working with gay or bisexual people?
Who did you vote for in the last election?
Do you belong to a party?
Exceptions: This executive order does not bind all employers, but protections exist at least for federal civilian workers.

*to be continued*

Employment laws prohibit discrimination not only in the workplace itself but as well as in the interviews. In interviews, questions that are inquisitive about race, religion, sexual orientation, family tradition and situation, and disabilities are illegal. Nevertheless, only a few people know which questions are illegitimate and most applicants fall into a trap of disqualification due to prejudice.

Forbidden Questions about Religion
Examples: Do you go to church?
Are you religious?
What religion are you?
Do you take time off work for religious purposes?

Exceptions: Organizations that have a specific religious orientation might ask questions relevant to religious practices and beliefs.

Forbidden Questions about Disabilities and Health
Examples: Do you have any disabilities or medical conditions?
How serious is your disability?
Do you take any prescription drugs?
Have you ever been in rehab?
Have you ever been an alcoholic?
How many sick days did you take last year?
Do you have AIDS?
Have you been diagnosed with any mental illnesses?
Have you ever received worker’s compensation or been on disability leave?

Exceptions: Employers may ask whether you have any conditions that would keep you from performing the specific tasks of the job for which you are applying. They may also require that all candidates for a certain position pass through a medical examination that is relevant to the responsibilities of that job. Employers can subject candidates to illegal drug tests or ask you whether you take illegal drugs.
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Cleanliness

• Showered and neatly combed hair
• Trimmed nails, clean hands
• Light perfume or cologne

Clothing

• Neat and pressed
• Dark colors
• No sneakers, sandals, shorts, t-shirts, or tight clothes

Hair

• Clean and trimmed
• Clean shaven and neatly trimmed facial hair

Jewelry

• Limit rings-men avoid earrings
• Conceal tattoos
• Finger nails should be business length-no loud colors or designs

Manners

• No gum chewing
• Do not use slang words
• Answer with yes or no not “yeah, nah, or uh-huh”
• No swearing or smoking
• Wait for employer to be seated or wait for employer to ask you to have a seat before you sit

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Have you ever wondered why you didn’t get the job even if you gave your best? No matter how hard you think about it, there is no such thing as a perfect job hunt. Almost every jobseeker has experienced rejection at one point in their work life.

There are always bumps on the road to your dream job. It is best if you remain positive and don’t lose hope. Here is a list of job hunting mistakes that every jobseeker should avoid:

1. Appearing on the job interview unprepared. Say you dressed appropriately and practiced answering the tough questions but didn’t research about the company and the position you are applying for, then chances are the hiring manager will get disappointed.

2. Applying just for the sake of applying. Rejection is inevitable if you apply for a job even if it doesn’t interest you.
3. Being too casual. Hiring managers observe the every action of potential job candidates, from the way they send their job applications to the actual interview.

I have a friend who got a job interview a day after e-mailing his resume to a company. Another week had passed and he happily telephoned me to share the good news that he has started with his new job. That is a proof how effective online application is.

Online job application is not only faster, but is also more convenient and traceable. There’s no need for printing, copying and mailing resumes. It saves you paper and postage.

Most employers today require online application in the initial selection process. They have databases where resumes are stored for screening. It is, therefore, highly recommended for job seekers to apply online instead of making paper resumes.

Commuting to and from work can be very inconvenient and expensive. This is one of the top reasons why home-based jobs are becoming more and more popular these days. Now, people can just telecommute and work from the comfort of their own homes through the power of the Internet. Really, employment setting has never been this convenient.

However, along with the rise in the number of companies offering home-based jobs, job scams continue to ruin the lives of hapless victims. It is therefore very important to be cautious when dealing with “online employers”. Research about the company first and don’t hesitate to ask your friends if they have ever heard about it.

Here’s a list of companies offering home-based jobs from Careerbuilder.com.

1. A dedicated email for your applications and other application related matters.
Have a separate email for your application process. This way, you are able to respond faster and organize your messages better. This will also prevent any confusion between personal and other business mail.

2. Keep your email address and IM ID professional.
Keep in mind that you are using your email and your instant messenger (if applicable) for PROFESSIONAL purposes. So your email address and instant messenger ID should sound professional – preferably your name.

3. Join job sites
You should have an online presence, so you should join job finding websites, as well as build profiles on professional networking sites like LinkedIn.

4. Showcase you work.
If you can, have a website that shows your previous work. It is an easy way for prospective employers to check on your actual skills and what you can contribute to the job you’re applying for.

Browsing the internet for jobs, you’ll surely come across one that seems to be too good to be true, where you shop to get paid. Is this a viable source of income, well yes and no. Yes because there are marketing research firms who employ civilians to do their on-site inspections as part of the regular crowd that passes through a store’s doors, evaluating staff courtesy and service standards based on your required evaluation points stated in your service agreement. You are an informal employee who isn’t required to come into the business yet you are expected to deliver daily status reports and store evaluations. the job is quite lucrative and you may have to deal with a lot of fraudulent claims from the many scams out there. Ask for some referrals on which people and companies really pay up and keep people employed.
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