“I hate it when employees just sit there and agree with everything I say.”

Those were the thoughts of one CEO who describes how he appreciates when employees actually push back and challenge his ideas.

In this month’s Career Club, we’ll show you how to effectively push back, say “no,” and still advance your career.  Follow these tips to gain the respect of your boss and get ahead in your career.

Are you looking to re-enter the job market–or do you know someone who is?

Getting back into the job market after a prolonged absence can seem daunting–but it doesn’t have to be. This article has some great tips to help you make the transition back into the workforce.

Are you looking for new job opportunities?

We are seeing lots of positive signs in the local market–and more importantly, new job openings!

Be sure to check out the job openings on our website, and let us know if you see something that’s a good fit.  Also, if you know anyone else looking for temporary or full-time work, please take advantage of our employee referral program!

A new member joins LinkedIn every second. The networking potential is unlimited. Now how can you make it work to your advantage?

So…you’ve set up your LinkedIn account, updated your work experience and sent out your invites, now what?

This month’s issue of the Career Club will help you get the most out of your LinkedIn account. This article shares some great quick tips on how you can make LinkedIn work for you.

In this job market you want to make sure that your resume gets to the top of the pile.

The secret to success lies in two areas:

1. Your cover letter
2. The keywords you use

This article will show you a few tricks that will get your resume noticed by hiring manager.

Would you like a nice hike in your salary?  Then don’t commit one of the fatal mistakes highlighted in our latest newsletter:  Want a Raise? Don’t Commit Salary Suicide.

We’ll show you why a recent USA Today survey reported that 59% of the women who asked for a raise got a “no” and 41% of men failed, too.  But more importantly, you’ll learn the secrets to success  that can greatly improve your chances of achieving your goal.

Discover what you need to know when asking for a raise!

From finding out what your favorite celebrity is up to to finding expert advice, Twitter has proved to be a fun and useful resource for many people.  But sometimes it can be a little overwhelming to sort through the clutter to find good information.

So we’ve done it for you!

To help you weed out the good advice from the bad, we’ve put together a quick list of Tweeters you may want to add to your follow list.  These are people that continually share helpful information–from interview best practices to tips on landing a promotion.

We hope you find these Career-Minded Tweeters helpful!

Double-digit unemployment means that competition for available jobs is tougher than ever. In a time when a single job opening can yield literally hundreds of responses, what can you do to help move your resume to the top of the stack?

You can start by always including a cover letter. To help ensure you have a memorable cover letter, be sure to follow the 11 essential tips for your cover letter in our most recent newsletter.

Have you ever noticed that some people always seem to end up climbing the career ladder faster than everyone else?  While it could be because Mom or Dad is the boss, more than likely it’s because they work hard and follow these five tips:

• Always display a positive attitude.
  Your attitude can be a powerful self-fulfilling prophecy.  If you have a negative attitude, 9 times out of 10 you will fail.  But, if you bring a positive attitude and display confidence, strength, and determination, you WILL be successful.
• Stay educated.
  The best way to ensure success is to stay one step ahead. Research your industry. Know what’s happening and what the experts say will happen. Look for trends. When you find them, start to train yourself in these areas. Knowledge is power.
• Create a personal elevator pitch.
  First impressions mean a lot.  If you only had 30 seconds to convince someone you were a hard-worker and a leader, what would you say and do?  Plan this ahead of time; you never know when it will be needed.
• Learn to network.
  Unfortunately sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know (at least to begin with).  Learn to network. You can even network within your own company. Invite co-workers to lunch. Take the time to walk by someone’s office to say hello. And actively seek out opportunities to network outside of work by joining organizations, groups, etc.  You start by seeking out your local chamber of commerce to learn of upcoming events.
• Be open to new opportunities.
  Read trade publications. Listen to people in your network.  When a new opportunity presents itself, don’t sit back and wait.  Take the initiative to inquire more–and don’t be shy!

And speaking of new opportunities, if you’re in the market for a new job or just curious about what is out there, please call us today.  As San Marcos’ leading employment agency, we offer a variety of excellent jobs.