October 15, 2026 – Page 3 – Merit Personnel & Consulting

I’ve been out of work for, er, ahem, QUITE some time

There have always been reasons that resumes stop w–a–y before the actual date they were sent out to prospective employers. With today’s economy, that has never been more the case. We’re not talking out of work for a few months here, sometimes now it’s two and three years. Do you not say anything on your resume about the recent gap, and hope that no-one minds? If what you have been doing sounds really lame to you, do you think you should write it down anyway because you think you have to tell them something? Do you think that every minute

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

They hire by PERSONALITY?

Yup, that they do. Think about it, lads and lassies. Let’s start with the more mundane jobs – I don’t want to offend anyone with what I consider mundane but e.g. if you’re a minimum-wage barista, then you have to be pleasant to customers, or you’ll start affecting their revenue as customers disappear to the shop a couple of blocks away. You have to be nice to colleagues, too: My local supermarket has in recent months lost lots of friendly, helpful check-out staff because they couldn’t take the less-than-adorable store manager. At the other end of the scale, CEOs known

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

Do motivational speakers make you barf?

Some of them are just dandy and help you through crises in your lives. Sometimes they even help you focus your career thoughts. But some are a bit, er ahem cough cough, a bit nauseating – of course, if you disagree, and think it’s just Margaret being her usual cynical self, let me know. I welcome criticism (I’m going to get struck down for THAT lie). H-o-w-e-v-e-r, there are nuggets of wisdom and helpful advice in the midst of all that syrup and over-the-top verbiage. Let’s come up with some frinstances for interviewing technique, class. These are headings (well, I

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

End of year, should you end your job search?

End of year ≠ end of job search Btw, ≠ is mathematical for “does not equal”. But you all knew that, right? Don’t give up on looking for a job just because it’s End of Year/Holiday Season. I touched on this in a previous thread – it’s always some sort of holiday, Thanksgiving, July 4th , your parents’ 40th anniversary, and you can’t afford to stop looking. You have to keep the antennae waving around if only because there will be other job seekers out there who decide that this is the ideal time for them to be sneakily sending

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

Potty-mouth…to swear or not to swear

Those of you who know me will be snorting in derision at the thought that I , Margaret, Queen of the vulgar, obscene, inappropriate language will be offering advice on what naughty words NOT to use in interview and, if you’re lucky enough to get the job, in those crucial first few months of employment. Not that you should refrain from swearing for 90 days and then feel that you can legitimately let rip. But once a company knows and loves you, they are more likely to smile indulgently at the little oopsies. We live in a world that is

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

Resume words I never want to see again

There are certain words that are used soooo often in resumes they have become meaningless. They are generic and don’t show the reader WHY you are using them. Point A) You think that the reader will take your word for it? Ain’t happening. Point B) Your resume may be the 15th that morning that the Human Resources Department has scanned quickly through (you think they all give you a good three minutes/resume? HAH!). If there’s been nothing to stop them using it to line the trash can, then that’s what it’ll do. Here is some of the most popular resume

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

Resume words that help your cause

Hiring managers want to hire people who will do the job well and, unless they want/need to hire a relative, the procedure to find that special someone can involve a resume, interviews and references. If your resume doesn’t jump out from the competition, then forget the interview and reference stages. What makes a resume stand out? Not gimmicks….no lay-out initiatives that have your sterling qualities in cute boxes down the side of the sheet, no 4-color displays. One exception to this is graphic artists. They are not using gimmicks, they are show-casing their expertise. HR and line managers like to see readable

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

Is it too risky to look for a job now in this economic climate?

It’s a judgment call. If you took no risks at all in life, you’d never leave the house – and even then you could fall down the stairs. If it weren’t for bad luck, some people would have no luck at all. So…what’s an unhappily employed person to do? First, take a few minutes to think through why you’re wanting to leave. Reasons, alas, abound. ` a) You work in the Accounts Payable Department so you can see that your firm has a serious cash flow problem. b) You work in the Chairman’s Office and

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

Put off the job search till things get better?

I could make this a very short blog this week by writing “Are you INSANE?” and leave it at that. But let’s try to figure out why all those Internet pundits who get paid to write Human Resource/recruitment/life coaching articles based on common sense seem to have lost theirs. Here are the arguments for holding off. You might already have seen rubbish articles on the Internet along these lines. You’re tired out from looking, and just feel stale. It’s a jungle out there. Take a break. The economy will be a lot better by 2013. (Depends who becomes President, doesn’t

October 15, 2026 10:31AM

I have some swamp land in Georgia to sell you for residential housing development

Don’t believe everything anyone tells you. Well, I mean, have SOME trust in people or you’ll end up a miserable, friendless old cynic. What I’m referring to are reviews on the Internet, possibly biased friends, potential future colleagues, company websites ….expounding on jobs, companies, salaries… Company websites: I may be stating the obvious here (never stopped me before) but companies want to portray themselves in the best light, for future business, public relations, attracting the best staff. Even if it’s on the whole pretty good, and in fact can be excellent when the CEO remembers to take his medication, these

October 15, 2026 10:30AM

Questions You Wish They Wouldn’t Ask At Interview. Episode 1.

What salary were you making at your last job/last three jobs? Thanks to NYC legislation in November 2017, it’s illegal to ask that question. It’s also a no-no in Oregon, New Orleans and Puerto Rico. If a potential employer asks you because they didn’t know the law had changed, or they didn’t care, try to swat them off respectfully. “I’m not comfortable answering that question. It’s against the law now to be asked… then put on cheery, upbeat smile… “ But I can talk about my salary requirements if you prefer.” If for some reason they repeat the question with

October 15, 2026 10:30AM