A job at the Post Office sounds like a sweet deal. Good benefits and job security are just some of the attractive perks. But Postal Service jobs are not advertised in the Classified Ads.

A scammer, Jeffrey Wayne Simmons and his companies, Information Resources of Nashville, LLC and Career Services, LLC, misrepresented that they were connected with or endorsed by the Postal Service; that postal jobs were available; that customers would receive study materials that would help them pass the postal entrance exam; and that customers who pass that exam were assured jobs with the Postal Service. In reality, none of these claims are true.

In a settlement with the FTC, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and the United States Postal Service, a judgement was entered in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on November 7, 2006 which stipulates that the companies will forfeit all their material assets (which include property, a motorboat, jet skis and more).

Beware of ads selling worthless prep materials for postal jobs or other government jobs.

A survey conducted by CareerBuilder dot com found that 1 in 4 hiring managers say they have used the internet to screen candidates applying for jobs. 1 in 10 say they have used social networking sites in researching potential hires.

51% of the time, the applicant did not get the job based on an internet investigation and when social networking sites were accessed, it cost the applicant the job 63% of the time.

Divulging personal information on the net can be a risky business for your career. Everything from unprofessional screen names to bad-mouthing former employers were cited as reasons a candidate did not get hired. 31% of the time the company was able to determine that the candidate did not have the qualifications claimed on a resumé.

“While sharing information online can have a potentially negative impact on your job search or career plans, it can also be leveraged as a tool to differentiate yourself to employers,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com.

“Highlighting professional and personal accomplishments and showcasing your creativity can help a candidate make a positive lasting impression on employers and validate why he/she is the right person for the job,” she added.

Read the do’s and don’ts in the full article at Consumer Affairs

You’ve sent your resumé and applied for a job you really want to land. You want to make a good impression in your interview. What do you wear?

Some industries, such as manufacturing, don’t have strict fashion rules but the safest rule to follow is to be fairly conservative in your attire.

You want to create a good impression but avoid having your wild nail polish or multiple piercings be the focus of the interviewer. A conservative look will keep the attention where you want it: on your skills and qualifications.

Monster dot com has enlisted the help of Anna Soo Wildermuth, an image consultant, to point out 10 dressing faux pas you need to avoid when interviewing for a new job.

Read the article here

The Internet is changing the way we search for jobs and the way prospective employers choose which candidates to interview.

You may have carefully prepared a resumé in years past that you mailed or presented to an employer whom you wished to have consider you for a position. With 80% of employers using the Internet to search for job candidates, you are going to need a resumé that will be easy to transmit electronically and get selected by the company’s computer.

When writing of your experience and qualifications remember that a computer is going to read this first and it is going to be looking for specific keywords. So check the listing to get an idea of what the position you are applying for entails. Then read over your resumé to see how many words coincide.

I found a couple of sites with the information you will need to create new resumés for e-mailing, faxing and other electronic submissions.

The Riley Guide: Resumes and Cover Letters

Advanced Resume Concepts