Go to work on Monday. Take your lunch break. Go home. Repeat until Friday. Ah yes, the classic 9-5, 40 hours/week job. Is this you? Have you thought about exploring other options? What about those things called contract jobs … what are they and how do they work?
Contract jobs are just what they sound like, jobs that are contracted. The position could be contracted for a certain project, a specific length of time, a temporary position…there are a handful of reasons an employer would want to hire a contract employee. Contract positions can look completely different from one to the next, so it is important to understand exactly what is involved with the contract position you are considering.
So, what should we know about these types of positions? I reached out to our HR Team here at AgCareers.com to hear their thoughts on these roles from a Human Resources perspective. They shared that it is important to understand the parameters of the role.
They are the most important part of any job hunt. The first look employers get into who you are and what skills you bring to the table, and one of the only ways you will land an interview with your dream job. We’re talking about resumes and what can make or break you when your name is sitting in bold letters on an employers’ desk. Crafting a professional, concise resume that will get you an interview is no easy task. It may be difficult to narrow down your achievements onto a one-page, tell-all sheet, but what you leave off your resume is just as important as what is put on. Take this resume advice: here are some things to leave off and what to put on instead.
1. GPA
This piece of resume advice is for all the college students or recent grads out there. The general rule is to not have anything below a grade point average of a 3.0 visible on your resume, but there’s no need to get discouraged if you don’t meet this criterion. Kristine Penning, AgCareers.com Creative Marketing Specialist, advises, “skills are definitely more important [than GPA].” Employers want to ensure they are hiring someone with the right skill set, so try spending more time promoting yourself in other ways.
Millennial–a label given to those born between 1981 and 1996. There sure is a lot of talk about this generation in the workplace. Not great talk, at that. Millennials seem to come with stereotypes and a bad reputation before they may even start their first day working at a company.
Are you a Millennial? If so, let’s get one thing established. You don’t need to live up to the stereotype others may have placed on you. Be yourself and show your colleagues the great qualities that tend to thread through your generation. Some examples may be your push for inclusion, civic-minded goals, and sustainable practices.
Here are three ways to overcome stereotypes that may have been placed on you:
1. Make a point to understand their perspective
Their perspective. That may be hard. Perhaps your boss gets frustrated when you do not want to work on the weekend, and it seems like no matter the outcome one of you is unhappy with your quantity of work hours. Take a moment to stop and think about why your boss is getting frustrated. Is it because they value hard work, which to them translates to putting in extra hours? What is the root of the frustration?
Picture this… you have revised and proofed your resume and cover letter 20 different times and finally submitted the application to your dream job. You feel a sense of relief because the hard part is over, right? Wrong! Next thing you know, you get an email to schedule an interview and the relief and excitement you felt after submitting your application materials slowly goes away and you have a new sense of worry in your head. Prepping for an interview can be nerve-wracking and the interview itself can sometimes be challenging. There are several different things you can do to prepare but what do you do about the dreaded awkward silence that can creep up in an interview?
There is no doubt that awkward silence is killer in any situation but during a job interview, the silence can feel like torture and really make us sweat. During the silence, a million thoughts might come across your mind such as, should I say something else or sit here quietly? Here are a couple of things you can do to dodge awkward silence in interviews.
Don’t break the silence
Silence may be uncomfortable, but it isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes we panic and think that breaking the silence during an awkward gap is the right thing to do, but that can make things even more awkward for both parties. Silence can be a natural part of the conversation and is bound to happen. Show them that you are still engaged in the conversation by keeping eye contact and smiling.
