So, you get through the initial prescreen phone interview and you’re onto the real deal. You complete the interview and you’re full of nerves, mulling over everything that happened during your in-person interview. Then, you find out you didn’t get the job. But, you never get to find out why. And, even if the HR staff gave you a reason, there’s no telling if it’s the real reason. So, why didn’t you get the job?

There are the clear-cut obvious reasons that have to do with being under qualified — lack of education, job history, etc. But, if those are the reasons, you probably didn’t get to the final interview in the first place. There are “hidden” reasons that could involve something discriminatory and even illegal. That’s not to say you should be skeptical, but you should at least be alert.

Unfortunately, discrimination can still be an issue — age, physical disability, sexual orientation, gender, race, etc. We all know what these reasons are, and if we suspect with good reason that we’ve been discriminated against, we should do something about it.

But, beyond discrimination, what can really keep you from getting the job? Probably the most common reason people don’t get the job is because of lying. According to CareerBuilder survey in 2008, 49 percent of hiring managers reported that they caught a candidate lying on his or her resume. Then, 57 percent of the time in those cases, the candidate was automatically dismissed. So, what are we trying to tell you? Be honest. That’s it. The lying will get back to you. Keep in mind, many companies utilize background checks and they can get rather intensive. So, if you’re lying about a timeline you’re in trouble.

How are you communicating in the interviews? Don’t talk negatively about your old bosses. It’s okay to say you had “a bad experience” but the HR person conducting the interview doesn’t want to hear you go on and on. It puts you in a negative light right from the beginning. In a 2009 CareerBuilder survey, HR managers said this was one of the most detrimental mistakes you could make. You’ve got to find a way to turn those negatives into a positive. That’s the key.

You should also do a digital background check on yourself. Make all your social networking profiles private, even if you’ve got nothing to hide. According to the same 2009 survey by CareerBuilder, 45 percent do digital background checks of their own. This just might involve searching your name on Google.

Before you go into a company’s office for an interview — do some research on that company. You don’t need to know every detail, but know something. Show that you know something.

Other reasons why you might not be getting the job?

Poor attitude – Don’t come off as arrogant or self-centered

Appearance – This should be obvious, but it needs to be said. Always wear professional attire to the interview, even if casual dress is the workplace protocol. 

Not having questions to ask – Asking questions shows that you’re interested in the position. Don’t be afraid to make a list and write down your answers.

Not readily knowing answers to questions – You won’t know every question that you’ll be asked, but you should have an idea for some of the major ones. So, prepare and rehearse if that helps you.

Relying too much on your resume – If you can have some kind of portfolio that shows examples of your work, or that help you talk about work you’ve done, bring it.

Too much humility – You don’t have to brag, but you should be comfortable talking about your accomplishments.

Not relating your skills to the position – You might be accomplished, but how do your skills translate into this job opening?

Not having career goals – When you don’t express any career goals, employers take that as a non-committal attitude

Job Shopping – Some candidates will admit that they’re just testing the waters, which doesn’t bode well for the hire. It tells employers that they could ditch a job at any time.

So, if you’ve made it to the interview stage, keep in mind everything we’ve mentioned above. If you do everything right, and you don’t get the job, you can still take satisfaction in know that you did the best you could and that the company really did feel like there was a better candidate out there – as hard as that might be to take, there’s nothing you can do about that. 

Whether you’re part of a large or small company, there are definite benefits to utilizing a staffing company in 2011. Depending on the size of your company and the current size of your HR department, this is the area of your business where you’re likely to see the quickest results when it comes to seeking out help from a staffing company. Bringing in help from a staffing company will free up a lot of time for your HR team so that they can handle the major daily tasks that they are really there to manage. 

Your HR staff is constantly working to stay compliant, administering government requirements and staying abreast of what those are, maintaining benefits and informing employees of 401K and benefits news, monitoring vacation time, coordinating travel, assisting with security, new employee orientations, and taking part in many, many meetings throughout the day. On top of all that, they are sifting through resumes, making phone calls and sending emails to track down potential employees to set up initial phone interviews, conducting those interviews, and so on. 

Bringing on a staffing team is going to alleviate your HR staff from some, or all, of the time consuming tasks that come along with seeking out new employees. A firm like Career Choices Unlimited has the ability to come onboard and work in conjunction with your HR team, or they can completely take over every aspect of hiring and managing new employees for you. Maybe you’re looking to revamp your existing HR team — or, you’re a new company that, as it gets bigger, now needs a more versatile HR department.

Another thing to consider about your existing HR staff is that their knowledge of what skills and knowledge particular positions require is limited. If your company needs to hire a financial or accounting pro, wouldn’t it be essential for your HR staff to be knowledgeable of trends in finance and accounting? An HR staff can’t be expected to stay on top of all the position-specific trends. How would they know what to look for, what to ask, etc.? This is where a staffing company that’s well-versed in specific jobs can come in and make your world easier. Rather than adding more to the workload of your HR team by asking them to keep informed and become experts in a number of different fields — it makes sense to team up with a staffing company who has the knowledge to hire the right people. They’ll know just what to look for in a potential employee, that way nothing is overlooked in the screening and interviewing process. In instances like this, you can have more confidence in a staffing company than in your own HR staff. Here at CCU, we’ve been filling positions on a daily basis, so we always have our finger on the pulse.

Another great thing about staffing companies is one that might get overlooked. When your HR team is looking to hire, they’ll post the job internally and then on the big job boards. When you use a staffing company, you’re job is getting “posted” directly into a pool of potential candidates. The initial screening is already taken care of. And, if we do need to use a job board to fill a position, we’ve got subscriptions. For the average company, posting on these boards gets expensive. 

While there may be a recruiting fee to identify the right candidate, when you weigh everything against it — the time freed up for your HR staff, the cost of posting jobs being eliminated, and the long term benefit of a company like Career Choices Unlimited hiring the best person for the job. Employees are an investment, and a staffing company will help you make the smartest investment possible, so you get the best return, whether efficiency, devising strategies, or coming up with the next big idea.

The staff of any company is the most critical variable when it comes to the success or failure of a business. As hiring practices evolve, companies are relying more on temporary and contract employees. What does that say for the people seeking work? It says that it might be time to change their expectations for finding permanent employment. Businesses are evaluating the cost of permanent employees; salaries, benefits, payroll taxes, vacation time, holiday pay, etc. and are weighing that versus the cost-cutting benefits of temp and contract employees.

It might be hard to imagine, but nearly three million people in the U.S. go to work each and every day in a temporary or contract capacity, according to the American Staffing Association. This number is increasingly comprised of highly-skilled, educated people that might have entered the workforce with a permanent career in mind. These days, any position can be filled by a highly-capable and qualified staffing employee.

Of course, the “temp” stereotype” still exists for the outdated employers who bring in help for a few days out of the week to handle filing and mail room tasks, or simply to take over while an office admin is on vacation, but the pool of people who are seeking temporary or contract work is evolving. Some of these pros love the thought of being dropped into new, challenging situations in unique and diverse environments. In fact, these “pros” are often turning the tables on the employer, utilizing the temporary, contract work to help them evaluate a prospective position.

According to the American Staffing Association, staffing employees are actually better educated than the overall workforce. Almost three-quarters of these employees, 74 percent, have some college education. Comparatively, 62 percent of the “permanent” workforce has some college education.

These numbers aren’t going unnoticed by employers, either. The American Staffing Association surveyed 500 staffing clients and 72 percent of those employers said that the quality of temporary and contract employees provided by staffing firms is equal to, or better, than their existing permanent staff. To follow that number, 8 out of every 10 surveyed agree that staffing firms provide a great way for them to discover successful, permanent employees.

Staffing firms aren’t just helping out the employer clients, there is also evidence that employees are benefiting as well. Again, according to the American Staffing Association, temporary and contract employees are utilizing these work opportunities and experiences to evaluate potential employers. It’s a great way for them to gauge the culture of the workforce and to get an idea of whether or not they feel like they’re a good fit for the job. These employees are looking for a career and it makes sense for them to not only evaluate the company, but evaluate the actual job to see if it’s what they want to do.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2000 only 13% of the workers in America were 55 and older. By 2015, that number is expected to wind up somewhere around 1 in every 5, or 20%. With the increase in workers 55 and older, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is expecting a big drop in the number of younger workers, those between 25 and 44. What does that mean, exactly? Employers will be, and currently are, seeking ways to discover and keep older workers.

Perhaps the economy has something to do with it, or maybe it’s just the fact that the nearly 80 million baby boomers in this country are turning 50, but the numbers are telling us that people are pushing their retirement plans back a few years in order to continue working. A 2002 AARP survey tells us that 69% of the people interviewed, all of them being workers age 45 to 74, said they plan to continue staying employed past what’s considered the traditional retirement age.

But, it’s not just for the money. More than 34% of those surveyed said they would work in a part-time capacity simply out of interest and for the enjoyment of it, while 19% said they would continue working part-time out of necessity. While part-time work seems to be what interests older people the most, 6% of those surveyed said they’d change careers to work full time, and 10% said they planned to start their own business. Not everybody plans to work for the rest of their lives, though. Twenty-eight percent of these “older workers” plan to kick back, relax and enjoy their retirement without lifting a finger.

The problem? Even though the number of older workers is increasing and is expected to continue increasing, the number of available jobs is not. As a result, a number of job banks like Workforce50 and Senior Job Bank are starting to spring up in order to make the search a little easier. Eric Summers, founder of Senior Job Bank, started the service because he noticed that the world’s senior population was growing, which meant the workforce was growing. He noticed that as the numbers of older workers grew, the resource was still largely untapped.

And the myths about older workers is changing with the times, too. Nowadays, some employers are aiming their sights on 50-plus potential employees because of their experience, knowledge and dedication. Fifty-plus workers can provide instant experience and knowledge and are typically recognized for their work ethic and honesty in the workplace. Why’s that? Because they’re working out of enjoyment and not necessarily necessity.

The AARP is trying to do something about this trend by launching a free, job search engine aimed at people over the age of 50. All of the jobs in the search results will be targeted at people in that age category and they’re boasting that more than one million jobs are being added every week. There are more people aged 50 and older in the workforce than ever before and the number is only expected to grow.

So, you’ve got the job. That first, nerve-racking day of work is looming and you want to make a great impression on every person you interact with. How you dress not only plays a role in how people view you, but how you feel about yourself. While some of the dress decisions are obvious (no short skirts or stiletto heels), some of the decisions aren’t so defined (what about skirts below the knee?).

“Don’t ignore the rules,” says Robert DiGiacomo, for Yahoo! HotJobs. “It’s especially important for anyone just starting a career to understand his or her company’s policies for summer office attire.” Robert’s point is sensible for every season. Robert’s point is critical, but oftentimes employee handbooks, especially the dress code section is outdated. Besides that, most of the dress code rules tend to be common sense.

The general consensus from CareerBuilder.com to WorkplaceCulture.com is – don’t reveal too much. With fashion trends always evolving, the written and unwritten dress codes have become a little difficult to decipher. For men in the business and corporate world, there is little to wonder about – it’s business suit and tie. For women, the working wardrobe is even more difficult to figure out, especially as more women enter the corporate ranks.

“Shove the dresses and skirts to the back of your closet and bring out all of your pantsuits,” says Mary Thatcher of the Associated Press. “The majority of women in the workplace who are taken seriously wear pants and a nice jacket, not a dress or skirt.” While it’s unlikely that you’ll find a “no dress” policy within the dress code section of your employee handbook, Thatcher says that, “pants command respect.”

Business attire is more easily defined and understood. Difficulties arise for people in working atmospheres that are considered “business casual” and “casual.” Melissa Dylan of Suite 101 says of business casual atmospheres, “Clothing should be conservative and nice. Button-down shirts, trousers, blouses, sport coats, and skirts are suitable.” With regard to footwear, keep your shoes cleaned and polished, always wear close-toed styles, and avoid sneakers.

For a successful first day, wear something conservative that abides to every rule of the dress code. Presenting professionalism on that first day will make a great first impression on your new coworkers, so don’t be afraid to over-dress professionally. Use that first day to gauge how everyone else is dressed and then follow suit. However; if your first day of work happens to be on a Friday, keep in mind that things might be a little more casual than normal.