Holiday Excess Everywhere, and Nowhere a (Healthy) Bite to Eat!

Posted on by September 28, 2015

The holidays this time of year seem to be all about abundance. Cookies and pies and special holiday treats are everywhere, not to mention parties and get-togethers where it’s so easy to overindulge.

If you’re brave enough to try to stick to your healthy eating plan throughout this season, it’s easy to feel deprived, because there are delicious foods EVERYWHERE that may not be “allowed” on your plan.

Planning ahead can be incredibly helpful. Sneak some healthier options into the mix. Your friends and family may even thank you for it.

Get your happy on by preparing foods that are tempting AND healthy.

found on jeanetteshealthyliving.com

found on jeanetteshealthyliving.com

Love holiday desserts? Check out 100 Healthy Holiday Cookies, Cakes & Desserts. Or, for additional scrumptious options, try 15 Healthier Holiday Desserts That Taste Like a Splurge (But Aren’t)!

Don’t adore desserts as much as the main meal dishes? Check out 10 Vegetarian Christmas Recipes Even Carnivores Will Love.

While we’re on the topic of (and in the season of) temptations, when job interviewing or in the pre-interview stage, I know it’s extremely tempting to raise your salary requirements quite a bit from your previous and/or current position. But should you? And if so, how much?

For guidelines on the best way to determine what compensation you should be requesting, read our article What Should Your Compensation Requirements Be?

Check out our interview tips and job search tips, and be sure to opt into our email marketing campaign for additional information. You can also follow us on Pinterest and Like us on Facebook!

Wishing you joy and success, during the holiday season and always!

Written by: Malaika Pickell

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

How To Use LinkedIn As A Hiring Manager

Posted on by November 26, 2015

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LinkedIn is a professional networking site that every hiring manager should be a part of. The first step of using LinkedIn is that you should consider LinkedIn as your “White Pages”. LinkedIn is designed to facilitate conversation between people and showcases your professional strengths. Hiring managers are integral to the hiring process and should share profiles and projects with recruiters thus defining the characteristics of the ideal candidate with the right skill set.

Hiring managers should treat the hiring process as the most important strategic planning of their company because every new employee will either be of benefit to the company or hurt it in some way. Managers should be seeking and hiring people that will help the company to grow.

The question “What personalities flourish here?” is critical. Most managers are easily able to identify the type of person who would be successful in their company and should be able to obtain the information as to whether or not that person would be a good fit.

It’s important to remember that every manager is responsible to his team, helping them to do their job more efficiently in order to be more successful. A manager should focus on getting to know each candidate, his skills, experience, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, to better reveal whether or not he is likely going to be successful in the position.

Here are a few characteristics of a “great” hiring manager and shows the passion he has for his job.

“A true leader”:

  1. “rarely brags” and is the last to talk of his/her accomplishments.
  2. always is first at scheduled meetings, understanding that they lead by example.
  3. efficiently uses time; using every available second to stay on top of his game, responding to emails, and catching up in those spare moments in his schedule.
  4. always respects others’ space and gives the team time to get their work done and understands that micromanaging won’t move a project any faster.
  5. friendly but is not your friend. This is keeping a healthy level of distance which is necessary for keeping relationships in perspective, allowing the right decision to be made for the company.
  6. staying above the fray, (so to speak); never gossiping, knowing that this affects company morale and impacts overall performance.
  7. never complains because he knows that he is responsible and that any negativity creates a domino effect throughout the company. So he always will seek a way to change the situation to make it positive.
  8. knows that he can’t do everything so he surrounds himself with people that he can depend on to get tasks accomplished. He realizes that his success is in the accomplishments of others.
  9. is quiet and unassuming but is consistent in his approach and message.
  10. is responsive in that he understands that a lack of responsiveness impacts the overall company.

A hiring manager should always write a clear & concise job description, defining the job and position requirements necessary for someone to be successful. You then will have a roadmap to follow for evaluating the candidate against the criteria to determine who will be the best fit.

A manager must be able to provide a clear answer when you ask about quarterly goals for the position being filled. If he cannot, it really should be a red flag that he hasn’t set clear expectations for the position.

When a manager tells you that “you won’t have any challenges” in answer to your query relative to “what is the biggest challenge to be faced in this position?”, you may want to dig deeper before making an offer or accepting a position.

At the end of the day, taking a serious approach to hiring can save time and a lot of headaches.

Have any questions? Ask our clinical trial staffing team and we will be happy to help!  Also, follow our hiring manager tips and opt into our email marketing campaign for further advice and guidance.

You can also follow us on Pinterest and “Like” us on Facebook!

Written by: Betty Crisp

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you ever involved with the hiring process? We specialize in clinical research recruiting! Sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

Time to Update Your Thanksgiving Menu?

Posted on by August 26, 2015

The standard Thanksgiving meal is fantastic, but – who are we kidding? – most of it is not that healthy, especially if we’re having three times as much as we should.

Thinking of trying a healthier version of a classic Thanksgiving dish or adding some new, healthier, soon-to-be favorites?

image found on familyspice.com

image found on familyspice.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try Cranberry Orange Quinoa Salad, Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash, Quinoa Kale Corn Tomato Salad, Summer Vegetable Tian, and Clean Eating Pecan Pie.

Are there other areas of your life that could use a healthy update as well? Read our article 5 Outdated Job Search Myths to help you make sure you aren’t spinning your wheels by using job search methods that are no longer applicable.

Check out our interview tips and job search tips, and be sure to opt into our email marketing campaign for additional information. You can also follow us on Pinterest, and Like us on Facebook!

Wishing you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

Written by: Malaika Pickell

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Why Having a Public LinkedIn Profile is So Important

Posted on by November 24, 2015

Image found on zeeblu. com

Whether you’re considering new employment opportunities or not, LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to build your professional profile. Beyond the amazing job search benefits it provides, it can also put you in touch with professional colleagues that may contribute to your future success in the industry, and may attract future clients to you and your company.

Looking for a new job? Many employers and recruiters in your field may be using LinkedIn as one of their main sources of finding good candidates for the position. Having your profile listed as public allows them to find you.

Not actively looking for a new job (but you’re open to the possibility of something better coming along)? This is a great way for companies with fantastic new opportunities to find you without you having to take the effort to search for them.

Not looking? Why is that? Is your current job the best job you could ever imagine? If yes, congratulations! Are you SURE there isn’t something even more wonderful out there?

Is the idea of job searching too much work? If so, having a public LinkedIn profile is a good way to cut out the lion’s share of the work. As you create your LinkedIn profile, take care to have a complete work history and completed skills summary. If you are just passively looking for a position, LinkedIn is a professional network that will have hiring manager coming to you.

Are you not open to even the possibility of a great opportunity finding you? If so, why is that? Are you afraid of fake or unworthy companies regularly harassing you if your information is available?

There are three things you should consider:

  1. Many LinkedIn accounts have limited amounts of inmails that can be sent unless they pay a larger amount of money, so they will be saving those inmails for the candidates most likely able to fit their position.
  2. If someone wants to connect and you have no interest, you can click reject and by clicking I don’t know this person, their LinkedIn account could be shut down when they get a number of these. Most companies will not send invitations unless they think you might respond favorably.
  3. It’s easy to ignore companies you’re not interested in. If you do find them to be of interest, you can do a brief amount of internet research on the company to gain additional information to see if you would want to align yourself with the company.

Does your employer need you to make your personal page private because they require you to use a LinkedIn account in your job and they need your LinkedIn presence to be solely related to their company? You should still keep your personal private LinkedIn profile updated as much as possible so that the moment you’re looking for a new opportunity, you can easily make it public again with as minimal effort as possible in order to jump back into the job search.

Alternately, are you afraid your employer will find out that you’re looking for or open to other employment opportunities? Other privacy worries? LinkedIn knows to protect their members and they have a privacy section that you can easily control the amount of information that is public.

A whole new world of fantastic job opportunities will open to you by creating a public LinkedIn profile. What’s holding you back?  You can also follow our career tips and opt into our email course for advice and guidance. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and “Like” us on Facebook!

Written by: Malaika Pickell

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

How To Put Your Best Foot Forward In A Job Interview

Posted on by November 24, 2015

Image found on serverlogic. com

Going on a job interview is nerve-wracking, especially going in unprepared. The key to a confident, successful interview? You can start by preparing yourself for your interview by using my tips below, listed in order of succession.

  1. You have submitted your resume to different companies through your local job board or through a recruiter and one of the hiring managers is calling to schedule an interview. When that call comes, (or email), take care to respond promptly and professionally. Before you end the call or send the email, now is the time to ask for the company’s name and web-site. You should also ask for the names of the people that you will be meeting with so you go into the interview knowing who you will be talking to. Speak confidently and be flexible to the hiring manager’s needs on when the interview is to be set.
  2. Your interview is scheduled, it is time to do your homework. Put the company’s name into your local search engine to get some background on who you could potentially be working for. In good standing with the Better Business Bureau? Secretary of State? Any online bad reviews? You should then go to the company’s web-site and fully educate yourself on the vision and the product of the company you will be working for. The quickest way for an interview to go badly is to not know anything of the company that is thinking of hiring you. You also need to see how you can enhance the company’s vision and what skills that you have to offer.
  3. Now that you have done your homework on the company and you are prepared for the hiring manager’s questions on your thoughts on the company, now it is time to think of some of the top questions that you could get asked. The top one is “tell me a little about yourself”; make sure your answer is humble but strong, you are selling yourself with this answer. Another one is “how did you hear about this position”; you need to know this answer so they know you are in control of your career and that you are not posting your resume everywhere for anyone to give you a chance. “Why should we hire you”; this is another question where you should be humble yet strong. “Tell me about a mistake you have made in the past”; you’ve had one, we’ve all had one and to not admit it shows that you don’t see your flaws. Be honest but make sure you have an answer on how you corrected it. “Why did you leave your last position, (or why are you leaving your current position)”; be honest in what you are looking for and why the last company could not lead you there.
  4. On the day of the interview, you have fully prepared so you should easily be able to walk in confident and ready. Be well groomed, well dressed, and walk in with a smile. Make sure your handshake is firm and that you make eye contact with everyone you meet, even the receptionist. These could be your future co-workers so you want to greet all that you meet with a smile and a hello!

With these tips, I hope you feel comfortable and confident in garnering a job offer. I wish you the best in your future endeavors!  You can also follow our interview tips and opt into our email course for advice and guidance. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and “Like” us on Facebook!

Written By: Carrie Thomas

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

How To Get The Job Of Your Dreams In 4 Weekends

Posted on by September 30, 2015

Weekends are for relaxing but also for setting your career goals. Wouldn’t you like to start a new career path, one that is financially and emotionally rewarding, and do so in only 4 weekends?

While your To Do list may be a mile long, this exercise will not take long and has the potential to enhance and improve your career. Just follow these steps and only invest about an hour or less per weekend. See my tips below.

  1. Weekend One. This weekend will ease you into getting motivated to make a career change. The only thing you have to do is daydream. That’s right, let your mind wander. This is not a time for planning so just concentrate on what you really want and not how to get there. Daydream about where you want to be in your career in five years. This important step is planting the seeds so your subconscious will do a big chunk of the work for you over the next week. Go ahead and jot down some notes on where your mind took you; this is the only exercise for Weekend One so you are free to go and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
  2. Weekend Two. Pull out your notes from last weekend and review. Then jot down some additional notes that your brain has formulated over the past week. Determine from these notes what job title that you are interested in pursuing. Is it Sales? Clinical Research Associate? Accountant? Write this title down then perform Internet research on what you can expect from your title. Glassdoor.com is a great resource as this will give you an idea of the salary you can expect to receive in this position, based off your location. Once you put in your title and location, you can view jobs, companies and their reviews, as well as salaries, under the tabs at the top. You will want to view job postings online as well as this will give you an idea of the skills and education that this title will require. Once you have obtained the information of the salary that you can expect and the skills and education that you will need to have, write down this information and you are complete for Weekend Two.
  3. Weekend Three. It is now the 3rd weekend, you are almost complete in paving your way to your dream job! Pull out all of your notes and get organized. On a clean page, outline your plan, (this is your Action Plan). At the top center of the 1st page, write down the title that you are looking to have. List the skills next, starting on the left margin and the salary that you hope to achieve. Then list the education that you need to have. You now have a plan in place, with a clear view on how to reach your goal. Weekend Three is now complete.
  4. Weekend Four. Now that you are at the final weekend, now it is time to execute your plan! Pull out your notebook and review the education section of your Action Plan. Go online and start looking at local colleges or online courses to review the courses needed to get to your education goals. Write these down and sign up for your first courses today; why stop now?

Although at Weekend One, I referenced a five year plan, I guarantee that you will have your dream job much sooner, depending on how quickly you can finish your education requirements. You can also look into entry level jobs that will pave the foundation of the title you are seeking to have. Staying organized is the key when growing into a new career so make sure you do not abandon your Action Plan. Review and add to your Action Plan once a month. I use an Excel document to keep my goals aligned but there are multiple organizational programs that you can use; you will be amazed at how it will keep you on the right track.

You are well on your way to obtaining your dream job, great work! I wish you the very best in career success!

You can also follow our job search tips and opt into our email course for advice and guidance. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and “Like” us on Facebook!

Written by: Carrie Thomas

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Aaaah! Halloween Candy is Everywhere. My Diet is Doomed!

Posted on by August 19, 2015

Halloween can be so much fun, but if you’re trying to eat and stay healthy, resisting the candy can be a beast, especially if you’re hosting (or going to) a Halloween party.

Check out 64 Non-Candy Halloween Snack Ideas. Some are healthier than others, so just in case you don’t want to be that healthy, there are some here you can enjoy as well.

www.listotic.com

www.listotic.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you give in to the temptation of Halloween candy that’s insidiously everywhere anyway? Life is all about balance. Head out and exercise a bit to work it off.

Trying to find balance in other areas of your life as well? Is there too much work and not enough time for the rest of life? Read our article The Pros and Cons of Being An Independent Consultant to see if becoming an Independent Consultant is the answer to your dilemma.

Check out our interview tips and  job search tips, and be sure to opt into our email marketing campaign for additional information. You can also follow us on Pinterest, and Like us on Facebook!

Wishing you health, happiness, and a fantastic Halloween season!

Written by: Malaika Pickell

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Tips To Pre-Qualify Applicants Before The Interview

Posted on by September 30, 2015

In this day and age, every minute is valuable and in the role of a hiring manager, there is never enough time in the day. When an applicant applies to an opportunity, the hiring manager has many other applicants to review; how is one going to find the time to review each applicant’s information? Here are some suggestions before scheduling interviews that will help you in finding a great fit to your team.

  1. Review the grammar via the communication method they reached out. When an applicant applies via an online portal or email, reviewing the grammar is the first step. If you have an individual that has bad grammar, that is your first sign that the applicant is not qualified for the job opportunity. Having proper grammar is important in any industry and if the applicant did not check their grammar or spelling then how focused or attention to detail oriented will they be in the job they are applying for?
  2. Review their resume and pay attentions to the tasks on the resume. The second steps that you want to take if the candidate passed Step One is to review the resume and the tasks on the resume. You want to check job tenure as if the candidate is a job hopper, why waste valuable time training someone when they won’t be with you for a long period of time, or worse, take your training to a competitor? Also, there are many times when applicants will change or tweak one’s title to get the chance for an interview but will not have the experience of the job requirements. Reviewing the tasks is such an important part of prequalifying any applicant as it will provide the hiring manager not only basic skill set information on the applicant but their resume will also outline if they meet the job requirements or possess the skills from their past experience that can be parallel to the job opportunity.
  3. Create a prequalification questionnaire to screen the applicant. The third step is to finish the prequalification process is by creating a questionnaire or screening questions to determine if the applicant meets not only the job requirements but also fall within the logistics of the job opportunity. One will send the questionnaire to the applicant with specific questions that align with the opportunity. By creating the questionnaire, the information given by the applicant will provide the hiring manager the data that will help them make the decision whether or not to schedule an interview with the applicant. The questionnaire can have questions regarding certain logistics such as salary / hourly requirements, experience in the industry, along with any restrictions that the applicant may have. This data will allow the hiring manager to eliminate applicants that are not qualified for the position or do not meet the requirements of the job. An example of this scenario could be that if it is a high travel job; ask the question on your form what the candidate’s travel restrictions are. This will save time and money for the hiring manager and only focus on the applicants that meet the prequalification of the opportunity before scheduling an interview.

With these time-saving tips, you will get the right candidate in the door. After all, who has the time to interview hundreds of different candidates?  Be sure to check out our hiring manager tips for advice to guide you and help keep you on track. Also, you can opt into our email course for additional advice.  You can also follow us on Pinterest and Like us on Facebook!

Written by: Natalie Prigge

Dedicated to Every Client’s Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

How To Use Humor In A Job Interview

Posted on by September 28, 2015

When you are one of the lucky few that get called into a job interview, you may wonder how much of your personality that you should allow to shine through. The goal is for you to put your future employer at ease and for you to not come off as unprofessional.

You do want to use humor but only as a driving point of your professionalism. For example, you can say, “I stayed late working on a project and realized that the client had gone home for the day!” This will let the hiring manager know that you are dedicated to getting results. You should not use personal humor, the key is to keep it work related.

Nervous energy? The first thing that will help with your nervousness is to be prepared. Research the company as well as the job title that you are interviewing to fill. You obviously have the skills needed to perform well in this position or you would not have gotten the interview in the first place!

Not a humorous person? Now is not the time to be a stand-up comedian! It is OK if you are more of a straight shooter. Just be yourself; remember that this is a professional situation.

Some additional tips outside of using humor to help prepare you for your interview are below. Since this is a professional setting that will hopefully lead to a job offer, I would be remiss in not sharing some tips to help prepare you for the actual interview.

Be prepared to ask the hiring manager some questions of your own. You want them to see you as an engaged and witty member of the team. Some of these questions could include:

  • Is this a new role and if not, how long has this position been in place and how has it grown since its creation?
  • What are some of the biggest hurdles that the team member that last held this position faced?
  • What are your expectations of a successful year in this position?

When you have questions of your own, this lets the hiring manager know that you have put some serious thought into what it would be like to be a member of the team.

Did you remember to research the company? If not, at the very least, you need to quickly pull the company’s web-site up on your Smartphone in the parking lot! A candidate not knowing a thing about the company that they supposedly want to work for is a nail in the coffin and you might as well save the hiring manager some time and cancel your interview. Did I get your attention? This is the most important step before going into an interview. Now that you have reviewed the company’s web-site, some questions that you should be prepared to ask are as follows:

  • I reviewed the company’s web-site and it looks like a great product/service. Can you tell me a little of the owner’s vision when they first started the company? 
  • What are some of the plans for future growth of the company? 
  • What is most exciting to you about the product/service that the company utilizes?

Most of all, you don’t want to work for a company where the vision does not excite you. You want a job that you can be passionate about as this will help you grow into a successful member of the team that any employer would be lucky to have! Engaged individuals always get the best results and your hard work will pay off financially and emotionally for you in the long run.

You can also follow our interview tips and opt into our email course for advice and guidance. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and “Like” us on Facebook!

Written By: Carrie Thomas

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

E-Recruitment Tips: Using the Web for Effective Recruiting

Posted on by September 16, 2015

The introduction of the internet and World Wide Web has changed the landscape of recruiting and its approach drastically. Today, information and communication are available in seconds and those who learn how to utilize the web to their advantage can have great success in using it as an effective recruiting tool. Here are a few recruitment tips on how to employ the web as a useful ally:

  1. Posting ads on commercial sites, such as Monster.com and Yahoo! Hot Jobs, can aid in the driving traffic of candidates towards one’s company. Major sites have thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of people searching for jobs and can immediately be influenced by an ad pertaining to a recruiting firm in their particular field of interest. Sites like those above also offer services, such as keyword and location filters, for those companies posting ads. While the price of ads can vary, ones on major commercial websites can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending upon the desired length of the ad, physical specs, and other factors.
  2. Possibly the most valuable recruiting tip for the web is to network. The internet takes networking to multiple levels; no longer are companies constrained by geography or other barriers. Social networking sites are a great place to not only search for possible candidates, but also to create company pages and profiles in order to project a firm’s brand and image onto people. Professional social networking sites like LinkedIn also offer a great opportunity to start topic discussions that can be tailored to one’s industry and help shed light on thought processes and characteristics of potential candidates. Furthermore, email allows for the facilitation of easy communication and tracking of said candidates.
  3. Another great option, especially for younger talent with great potential that may go overlooked, is the use of college and university alumni career services websites. All colleges and universities have special relationships with a select few companies when it comes to careers, and building inroads into an alumni organization of a college or university that has a reputation for producing noted talent in one’s industry could end up paying large dividends. Not only has the firm established a relationship with an alumni organization and institution of higher learning, but could potentially allow for a steady pipeline of top candidates as the relationship matures. Institution’s career services websites also allow a unique opportunity to establish relationships not only with the institution, but also with the students. Posting positions on these sites can help generate buzz among friends and other students about postings and experiences one has with that company.

The web is a valuable asset for recruiting as it truly has limitless capabilities. Some of the best recruiting tips for utilizing the web successfully and effectively are to post ads on commercial job-search websites, generate and influence on social networking sites, and to take advantage of opportunities with universities and colleges and the potential organizations and sites in affiliation with them. The next step is to go out there and make it happen!

Written By: Ryan Miller

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.