Job Seekers Blog

When choosing a career, most people want to see how the industry develops over time. Creating short- and long-term goals can be motivators while also challenging you to achieve more in your careers. We want to know if your current job is aligned with your career goals? Let us know by voting in our poll! View Survey

Do you have good time management skills? Are you detail-oriented? Becoming a bookkeeper may be the ideal job for you. Bookkeepers are typically in a customer service role responsible for recording financial transactions, updating statements, and checking financial records for accuracy. Required Education: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most employers hire candidates who have a high school diploma and have completed college courses in related subjects, such as accounting. You can also be more marketable to employers by going through a certification program. The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers offers a Certified Bookkeeper designation. In Canada, you can go through a program offered by the Professional Bookkeepers of Canada. You will also usually receive on-the-job training. Pay: Pay varies depending on multiple factors (e.g. experience, geographic area, etc.). Because Express offices are individually owned, specific pay structures may vary for bookkeeper positions from location to location. What Do Bookkeepers Do? Bookkeepers deal with a variety of responsibilities, including but not limited to: Use bookkeeping software, spreadsheets, and databases Enter (post) …

  Does the size of a company matter to you when deciding where you want to work? Making the decision to work for a small or large company could depend on many factors, including the number of employees or how profitable the company is. Here’s a look at a few key differences when working for a small or large company. Large Companies: Advantages           More resources – The bigger the company, the more resources you’ll likely have. Working for a larger company allows for more defined processes and the ability to provide resources to troubleshoot any technical, logistical, or organizational challenges. Larger companies also tend to invest more in internal training and professional development. Job security – The likelihood of losing your job at a large company on any given day is unusual. Working for a larger company greatly increases your chances of receiving a compensation package, even if you are let go. Any company, regardless of size, can experience layoffs, although larger companies typically have more resources to weather a …

There’s no doubt we’re in a job seekers market, but could there be roadblocks standing in the way of their next job opportunity? In August, we asked our readers to list the top barriers job seekers are facing today. With 25.9%, the top answer to the monthly poll was “Compensation too low,” followed by “Lack of necessary skills for available jobs,” with 17.2%. With another 12.9% of the votes, readers said the “Rising cost of living,” while 8.4% of respondents cited “Lack of flexible work hours” as a top barrier to employment for job seekers. The rest of the results are as follows: “Arranging dependent care (childcare, eldercare, etc.)” (5.2%) “Lack of transportation” (4.5%) “Lack of soft skills” (2.6%) “Lack of job opportunities” (1.9%) “Lack of benefits” (1.9%)   Another 19.4% of respondents chose the “other” option. Here are a few of their responses: “Job postings requiring years of experience for little pay. As well as lack of entry-level positions for college graduates requiring zero experience.” “Poor advertising of open …

Football is a team sport that calls for perseverance, goal setting, discipline, and teamwork. It’s a competitive sport, and during the season, teams seek to impress their fans on the field with all the hard work they put in during practice. You can use the same principles at work. Here are three career lessons you can learn from football: Do Your Job Well and Thrive If you’re a long-time football fan or root for the New England Patriots, you’ve undoubtedly heard head coach Bill Belichick repeat this phrase: Do your job. Belichick has long stated that this mindset is something he has kept with him throughout his coaching career and has contributed to his team’s success in reaching and winning multiple Super Bowl championships. You can also apply Coach Belichick’s philosophy to your work. Just like on the football field, each position on the job is critical to successfully executing a project, meeting a deadline, or completing quarterly and yearly objectives for your team and company. Recognizing the role you …

September 16 was National Tradesmen Day, and we’d like to honor and celebrate those who work in the Skilled Trades industry.  The holiday is observed on the third Friday of September to recognize the hard-working and dedicated people who keep the world running. So, what is a skilled trade? At the most basic level, a skilled trade is any job that requires a specialized skill, usually obtained through a technical school, college, or on-the-job training through an apprenticeship or internship. There is high demand for Skilled Trades positions, and longevity in this field should be considered. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we’re going to need more than four million skilled laborers to replace the nearly eight million lost from the labor force during the pandemic. To put things into perspective, Express put more than 262,000 people to work in the Manufacturing industry in 2021. Here are some of the characteristics of a tradesmen professional: Safety-conscious Reliable Problem-solving Customer service If you’re a tradesman professional or looking to start …

The willingness to learn new skills and be a good match with the company’s culture are some of the most desired characteristics employers want out of job seekers, according to a recent survey from Express Employment Professionals. Cover letters are a way to showcase your soft skills and personality, but they can also be a great way to give insight into your integrity. With the average read time of cover letters at less than one minute, you’ll want to keep your cover letter brief but still take advantage of the opportunity to stand out. We’ve previously discussed three ways to establish your integrity in a cover letter, and we’ve now added two additional tips to the list. I’m Trustworthy After you read the job description or job posting, include a brief story in your cover letter of when you have been trusted in the past to take care of related tasks. State how you handled the request and the pride you felt in completing the project. If you have specific …

If you haven’t updated your resume in a while, now may be the time that inspires you to do it. September was International Update Your Resume Month, designated by Career Directors International. We at Job Journey want to help you revamp and polish your resume with these four tips. Remove Past Work Experience That’s No Longer Relevant Resumes are supposed to be brief and to the point. On your resume, you do not need to list every job you’ve held. Remove jobs or internships you had in college if you’ve been working in your field for five or 10 years. The acceptable length for a resume is normally two pages, so you can trim the fat by removing early employment. There may be times though when your previous work experience will benefit your resume. If it is beneficial, you’ll want to keep it listed. Update Your Resume With Job Milestones Don’t just update your resume when actively looking for a new job. Include milestones on your resume while they are …

There may come a time in your job hunt when you must cancel or postpone an interview. Although most people don’t enjoy canceling something they had scheduled, it does happen occasionally. The key to canceling an interview is communication. Here are some tips to help you effectively communicate when your interview plans change. Canceling an Interview An interview may need to be canceled for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you found a better opportunity and accepted a job elsewhere. Was there anything about the position or the company that made you reconsider? Did you decide to stay at your current job? Whatever the cause, you should notify the company as soon as possible. Nobody enjoys wasting time. Good practice would be to let your recruiter or hiring manager know you would like to cancel a few days prior to the interview. It is not necessary for your explanation to be lengthy and drawn out. Simply notify them by email or phone that you will be unavailable for interviews. Canceling Interview …

You recently accepted a job offer, and your start date is just around the corner. So why are you experiencing anxiety or uneasiness in a moment that should be exciting? Whether this is your first job or the beginning of a new career path, you can take on your new position confidently. Here are some pointers for overcoming anxiety when starting a new job. Prepare in Advance Dress code policy: If your company’s dress code wasn’t addressed after you received your offer, get clarity on it. Make sure your closet matches the job. Nothing is worse than wearing something that is out of policy and being told to go home and change, especially if your job requires special PPE like steel-toed boots. Test your work commute: Another way to alleviate some of the stress of starting a new job is to test the route to work. If you’ve never seen the building or job site before or the job is in a different city, drive the route at the same …