Maine's Job Matchmaker

524 apply for 17 positions at Oxford store. This headline truly brings
to reality the dire unemployment numbers that Maine and the nation is
facing.  Not even half of the 17 positions were full time, and the starting pay was roughly a dollar over minimum wage.

How does one stand out in the job-seeking crowd that today’s unemployment rate is causing? One local hiring specialist gave me great insight. He told me, “Job seekers need to make sure they give all of the information that is requested: the application, the resume, the references all must be included” or they will not get very much of his attention. Another important aspect is to make sure the screening questions are answered constructively, intuitively, and that you portray yourself in the best light possible. These questions are what is being used to screen through the piles of applicants that are coming across his desk. And there are a lot of applications including recent college grads all the way through professionals with many years of experience who are looking at entry-level positions to simply get a job. The competition has never been more fierce; and the employers who are hiring have never had more to choose from.  It is overwhelming to all involved.

The hiring manager summed it up best when he said that job seekers must think of the application process as “the one-minute preview to a movie.  I’m
going to watch the preview and from the information provided to me I
will decide if this is a movie I am going to see.”

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