For Job Seekers

What to expect from entry-level administrative assistant jobs

WAI Staff

Are you looking for a versatile job that provides opportunities for growth and training? Working an entry-level administrative assistant job can be a challenging yet rewarding pathway, and many companies are hiring now for this position. Here’s our guide about what to expect from administrative assistant jobs throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area..header-image{display:none!important;}

An administrative assistant taking notes

What do administrative assistants do?

“Administrative assistant” is a fairly vague job title. This position is often a “catch-all” for various internal and customer-facing tasks. In a broad sense, administrative assistant jobs control office efficiency and ensure operations run smoothly. This can involve a variety of tasks, including:

  • Answering and directing phone calls and emails
  • Organizing and scheduling meetings
  • Ordering office supplies
  • Assisting with special projects
  • Producing and distributing correspondence
  • Greeting customers or clients
  • Booking travel arrangements

The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is a perfect market for this role, with so many private businesses, consulting firms and government contractors needing entry-level administrative assistants to ensure jobs are completed on time. While some of these descriptions sound more like a secretary or receptionist, there are some distinctions in those titles.

How is an entry-level administrative assistant job different from a secretary or receptionist?

In general, the following are basic differences between these three job titles, even though all of these job categories overlap and work together:

  • Receptionists serve as the first point of contact for an office
  • Secretaries handle document production as well as other office tasks
  • Administrative Assistants keep the office running smoothly and handle more project specific tasks. 

In some office jobs, being an administrative assistant will look very similar to a secretary or receptionist role. Other times, often in larger companies, administrative assistants are specialists, like project managers, who oversee and ensure that overall work operations flow smoothly.

For example, rather than directly manning the phones, an administrative assistant may provide a receptionist with a flow chart of how to route calls more efficiently. In that context, working an entry-level administrative assistant job could also include serving as a go-between for the receptionist and the higher levels of leadership in the office. 

When applying for an administrative assistant job in Washington, D.C., or the surrounding area, it’s important to understand the industry, company structure and work culture. Depending on the company’s needs, the role may look different from one place to the next. Many companies look for candidates willing to adapt and take on new responsibilities.

An administrative assistant’s desk

Why be an administrative assistant?

Being an administrative assistant is a dynamic and rewarding role that offers a unique blend of responsibilities and opportunities. At the heart of every successful organization, administrative assistants are crucial in maintaining smooth day-to-day operations. One of the main reasons to consider a career in this field is the chance to play an essential role in a functional business. 

Administrative assistants serve as the backbone of an office, with jobs ranging from managing schedules and coordinating communication to ensuring that day-to-day tasks are handled efficiently. This role demands a diverse skill set, from organizational prowess to effective communication and problem-solving abilities. It provides a platform to develop and sharpen these skills in a professional setting.

Ideally, an entry-level administrative assistant job involves interaction with various levels of personnel in different departments throughout the office, fostering a dynamic and collaborative work environment. Administrative assistants are trusted with responsibilities that contribute directly to an organization’s efficiency and success.

In addition, being an administrative assistant offers a gateway to gaining valuable experience across different facets of business operations, making it an excellent stepping stone for career growth. The role’s versatility, paired with the opportunity to learn and adapt to new challenges, make it an appealing choice for individuals seeking a stable position and the potential for promotions and professional development. 

Developing your own system within the established structure

Administrative assistants work in a delicate balance. The role can be one of the most versatile office jobs because so many administrative assistant tasks need to be done throughout each workday. Managers often expect administrative assistants to bring their ideas and systems to fit within the established structure.

For example, maybe the traditional protocol is that the administrative assistant will make calls to confirm the next day’s appointments. The administrative assistant may be free to make notes in a client’s file or update calendar meetings in a manner that they find most efficient and helpful for the senior staff. Managers often appreciate assertive, independent assistants who can complete core tasks without asking too many questions.

Day-to-day management with a broad perspective

To succeed in an entry-level administrative assistant job, prospective candidates must recognize that they will be responsible for the day-to-day office management and the larger picture of the company’s goals and objectives. A detail-oriented mindset and the ability to concisely summarize key takeaways are critical.

Administrative assistants often put out many little “fires” throughout the natural workday. Still, they need to maintain a broad perspective so urgent tasks don’t replace the essential components of the role. Fast-paced markets like Washington, D.C. expect administrative assistants to keep up with action items and prioritize effectively, even in an entry-level job.

Serve as an assistant, not a manager

While administrative assistants track and monitor tasks efficiently, this is a supportive role rather than a leadership role, meaning that administrative assistants work directly under high-level management or other leaders in their office. In their jobs, administrative assistants typically will not make tough work-related decisions by themselves.

Administrative assistants have a specific hierarchical place in the company that may vary depending on the industry, company size and other factors. Regardless of the particular structure of a company, administrative assistants typically work very closely with the leadership they assist. In this role, you could expect plenty of formal and informal meetings and check-ins with one or more leadership roles at the office.

Get a specific snapshot of your possibilities

Each administrative assistant position looks slightly different. An administrative assistant job could be a great fit if you have the related skills of multitasking, prioritizing, organizing and ensuring others stay on task. Whitman Associates, Inc. helps place candidates in entry-level administrative assistant jobs in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area. We have more than 50 years of expert staffing experience. When you’re ready to start your new career path as an administrative assistant, send your resume to resumes@whitmanjobs.com. 

WMATA Metro Commuter Tips

WAI Staff

If you are one of the thousands who commutes via Washington D.C. public transportation, learn how to make your commute easier, safer, and all around more enjoyable by following the tips below:

dc metro station

1. Stand right, walk left

This rule of thumb applies to riding the escalators. If you are standing, stand to the right, this leaves the left side open for walking passengers to pass by you unobstructed.

2. Load your SmartTrip Card onto your phone

Don’t worry about keeping track of your WMATA metro card, just tap your phone for metro or bus fare!

3. If you’re using a physical SmartTrip, keep it handy

While you want to keep your SmartTrip card somewhere safe, you also want to have it easily accessible so that you don’t have to hunt through your entire purse or wallet to find it when exiting the metro.

4. Wear comfortable shoes

Commuting via Washington D.C. public transportation typically means that you will have to do a bit of walking to get to and from the station, so wear comfortable shoes and bring your work shoes in a separate bag if necessary.

5. Be considerate of priority seating

On both WMATA metro and buses there are seats reserved for the elderly, disabled, or pregnant. Be a conscientious commuter and be sure to free up those seats if someone needs them.

6. Hold onto your bags at all times

Holding onto your bags will not only protect you from theft, but it’s also considerate for other passengers to keep your bags off the floor and seats.

7. Report any suspicious behavior or unattended bags

WMATA Metro police request that passengers report any suspicious behavior or unattended bags they notice to a uniformed metro worker or police officer. This action will help keep you and other riders safe while on the metro.

8. Plan your trips ahead of time

If you are a daily commuter, you probably know what time your train arrives every morning, but it’s always a good idea to check for any delays or alerts before you leave the house to avoid any interruptions to your routine.

The 6 Best Jobs for College Grads With No Experience

WAI Staff
Man wearing a suit on a city street

Finding a job just after graduation can feel challenging if you have no internships or prior professional experience. You’re often competing against people with a fuller resume and years of work experience behind them. What are good entry level jobs you can do with no experience? It’s very easy to feel like you’re caught up in a catch-22 situation where you need work experience to find work.  

However, the fact is that there are numerous opportunities open to people with minimal or no experience. There have to be, or else no one would ever be able to build a career. Plenty of companies out there make it a point to take in entry-level candidates for job categories that are a perfect fit for recent graduates.

Some of the best entry-level positions for college grads provide fair compensation for candidates with the right skills and commitment. Let’s look at the 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience. 

1. Salesperson

Sales jobs often get a bad rap, but they’re a great way to build vital skills that will be invaluable to you later on in your career. They can help develop your soft skills and teach you how to deal with rejection. It also makes you a good listener and an effective communicator in any situation. It’s a great job to apply for if you’re seeking an entry-level position. 

It’s one of the 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience because most companies out there need salespersons to sell their products and services. Not all sales deals happen at the same level, but the skill sets involved are the same. Moreover, salespersons are on the ‘frontlines,’ so to speak. They’re the ones interacting with the customers every day and they often have a better understanding of their pain points, industry dynamics, and the pros and cons of the company’s products. This is knowledge you can use to make a lateral shift into other company departments, such as marketing or product development.  

2. Data Analyst

What are good entry level jobs in the tech sector if you have no experience? Everyone from financial service companies to consumer goods manufacturers, healthcare organizations, and hospitality companies need them. We are living in the age of Big Data, and this covers a wide spectrum of industries. Moreover, the need for collecting and understanding data is only growing. Data analyst is one of the 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience because these positions are ubiquitous.

A data analyst interprets and structures data into information that a business can use. Responsibilities include collecting, interpreting, and organizing the data and then analyzing the results to pull business insights. It’s ideal for people with a head for numbers, but it’s also a job that requires creativity and business acumen. The way you present your data and how compelling your insights are can make a big difference to your business. With the right company, it can be one of the best paying jobs for college grads with no experience. 

3. Real Estate Agent and Broker

Property management can be a rewarding career even if you’re an entry-level candidate finding a job right after graduation. In most cases, all you need is a high school diploma and a state broker’s license to get started. You might have to put in a little bit of time prepping for the real estate exam that gets you your license, but it certainly doesn’t dissuade the millions of Americans who opt to try their hand at real estate. 

Like any industry, there are ups and downs in real estate. However, it’s also an evergreen industry in that people are always buying and selling properties, both residential and commercial. If you’re personable and willing to work hard, it’s one of the 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience. In a recent survey, 85% of real estate agents said they were happy with their career choice and 71% of them were attracted to the earning potential of the job. 

4. Project Manager

A quality project manager can be an indispensable commodity for a business. From troubleshooting problems to clearing bottlenecks and ensuring cross-functional communication, a project manager is a vital cog in the enterprise machinery. As with many of the other 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience, project management can teach you a range of skills, such as diplomacy, risk management, communication, and more. 

Moreover, it’s often something that requires a learning curve even for experienced candidates. Each company and project has its own features and challenges. In most cases, project managers have to adapt to the processes, structure and dynamics of the company in question, which makes it ideal for candidates to find a job after graduation.

5. Nonprofit Assistant

If I want to make a difference in the world, what are good entry level jobs I can get with no experience? If this is your mindset, you should consider working for a nonprofit. Nonprofit organizations often have limited budgets, which means that this may not be the most high-paying job right out of the gate. However, these organizations often look for commitment and a willingness to work hard more than anything else.

One thing that makes a nonprofit assistant one of the 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience is that you have such a wide variety of organizations to choose from. You can focus on finding an entry-level position with an organization involved in something that interests you. If there’s a cause you particularly identify with and feel you can contribute to, this might be one of the best jobs for you, even as a college grad without experience. It’s also a chance to meet a lot of different people and get some real life experience under your belt, which is always going to be beneficial later on. There are lots of different kinds of nonprofits to choose from, including public health advocacies to legal aid offices, social rights groups, and diplomacy nonprofits.

6. Client Relations

Managing client experience is a very important function for any business. Everyone from IT firms to consultancies, marketing agencies, and more, employ people to manage client relationships. Among the 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience, it’s one of the best ones out there. All you need is a positive attitude and a nimble mindset to succeed.

Are you wondering what are good entry level jobs you can apply for with no experience when you want to work with people but don’t really like selling? Client relations could be for you. Unlike sales, you don’t have to worry about bringing in new clients and meeting quarterly targets. Client relations is more about maintaining existing relationships and ensuring compliance with contractual agreements. In this role, you’re often the primary point of contact for the client, a supplier and partner interface, and bridge to service-level teams in your company. 

Don’t Let a Lack of Experience Stop You

Woman shaking hands with a man sitting at a desk

Recent college graduates sometimes complain that no one wants to hire them because they lack experience. This creates a dilemma, as they can’t get experience until they get hired. Fortunately, things aren’t really so dire. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 70% of recent college graduates aged 20–29 were employed. So we know plenty of companies are hiring, even for entry-level positions. 

It’s a myth that the best jobs are off-limits for college graduates with no experience. Finding a good job after graduation is all about identifying your priorities. What are you really after? Higher pay? A relaxed lifestyle? Experience in a specific industry? With a targeted approach, you can find a job that both fulfills your goals and offers you professional exposure. Do your own research on the 6 best jobs for college grads with no experience and see if one of them is right for you. 

Interview Prep and Tips

WAI Staff

While every interview situation is different, we have created an ultimate interview prep guide to help you learn how to prep for an interview and will increase your chances of impressing the hiring manager and successfully landing a job offer.
Women interviewing

  • One of the first interview tips is to always arrive on time. Plan to arrive ten minutes early for your interview. Potential employers will assume you have bad time management skills if you are late for a scheduled interview. This is almost more important with video interviews. If you have no commute or traffic, being late is inexcusable. Don’t forget to test out a video link prior to your interview, so there won’t be any technical difficulties to hold you up.
  • Talk positively about your former employer. Talking positively about a former employer will show loyalty and respect, which are both traits employers look for in potential candidates. If you didn’t have the best experience at your previous job, a good way to interview prep is to talk about the positive aspects, and frame any downsides in a respectful manner.
  • Another way to nail your interview prep is not to forget to bring a few copies of your resume with you. Even if you are not asked to bring a resume with you, you should always have a few copies on hand just in case you need them. If you are on a video interview, be sure to have your most up to date resume ready to share via email.
  • In interviews, you should avoid oversharing personal information. While it’s important to share your work experience and skills in detail, you should avoid talking too much about your personal life and opinions.
  • Another first interview tip is to get your interviewer’s contact information so you can follow-up. It’s always a good idea to follow-up after an interview with a note thanking them for their time and consideration. Be sure to get the hiring manager’s business card, LinkedIn or email.

two women job interview

  • You should make consistent eye contact with your interviewer. Displaying confident body language and making eye contact will help you further engage with the interviewer.
  • Avoid wearing a lot of cologne or perfume. As in-person interviews are on the rise again, you don’t want to aggravate your interviewer’s allergies or distract them with an overabundant fragrance.
  • It’s important to present yourself appropriately. This includes everything from dressing professionally for an interview, to choosing a neutral virtual background and good lighting for a video interview. Being dressed inappropriately or having your background be a distraction is one way to discount yourself from consideration.
  • Don’t be shy about conveying your interest in the company and position. Although you know you’re interested in the job, you have to convince the hiring manager. Potential employers want to see just how dedicated you are to working for them. Be sure to do your interview prep by researching the company, so that you can speak with confidence.
  • Avoid chewing gum, snacking, food or other distractions. Chewing gum during an interview is rude, and it can be distracting.
  • Our last piece of advice on how to prep for an interview is to remember to turn off your cell phone. You don’t want your phone ringing in the middle of an interview, so make sure you turn it off before the interview begins. Even silenced cell phones can vibrate or make noise, so turn your cell all the way off to avoid any unwanted distractions.

5 Common Resume Mistakes To Avoid

WAI Staff

Having a great resume is key to being successful in your job search. Your resume is typically the first impression an employer has of you, so it’s important that it properly represents you. Recruiters often receive hundreds of resumes for each open position. To speed along their process, they’ll often throw away a resume as soon as they note certain mistakes. We don’t want you to fall into that trap! To help, we’ve listed five resume mistakes you need to avoid that job hunters often make.

Scrabble letters spelling pause, breathe, resume.

1. Spelling and Grammar Mistakes

The most frequent resume mistakes are errors in spelling and grammar. Common resume mistakes like this are the easiest way to get your resume rejected because employers are likely to assume you are careless or sloppy in your work.

Make sure to edit your resume several times before submitting it. It also helps to have someone else read it over — a new set of eyes is more likely to pick up on any small resume errors. Or, there are a plethora of free, online grammar and spell-check sites you can run your resume through before submitting it. Grammarly and Scribbr are two popular options.

2. Length

Submitting a resume that is too long or too short is one of the five common resume mistakes you need to avoid. While it’s important that your resume is not excessively long, you should not exclude relevant work experience just to fit everything on one page. You don’t want a potential employer to discount you because you left off relevant experience.

At the same time, you don’t need to include every position you’ve had since the beginning of your career. Some of your past jobs might not be relevant to the current position you are applying for. Feel free to leave off the coffee bar you worked at through grad school if you have more relevant experience to include.

However, having too short of a resume is also a common resume mistake. If you are a recent college grad or just out of high school and have only worked at one or two positions, try to expand upon your responsibilities to lengthen your work history. Also, you can include extracurricular activities you participated in if the experience you gained seems relevant to your career. 

When expanding on specific positions, include quantitative details when describing your responsibilities. For example, if you worked as a sales representative, be sure to mention numbers such as your sales close rate, average deal, and number of sales per month.

3. Too Much Personal Information

Getting too personal is another one of the five common resume mistakes you need to avoid. Employers are going to hire you based on your work experience, not on your favorite hobbies. You can have a section for “Skills and Interests” on your resume, but you should avoid listing more than one or two interests unrelated to the job. It’s better to allow your interests to come up naturally. In a job interview, if your interviewer mentions their love of volleyball, then that would be an appropriate time to mention you share the same interest.

It’s not necessary to mention your marital status or children on your resume — these are also common resume mistakes. Again, a potential employer is only interested in your professional background. 

Don’t include your picture on your resume. At this stage of the application process, it is better to allow the recruiter to judge you solely based on your qualifications and work history — not your appearance. The exception is if you are applying for an acting or modeling role.

Close-up image of a person writing with a pen

4. Too Busy

You want your resume to be easy for the recruiter to read, allowing them to quickly note how qualified you are for their position. Creating a resume that is too busy is an often overlooked one of the top five common resume mistakes you need to avoid. 

For example, some people choose to use more than two fonts. Instead, keep it simple, so that an employer’s eye can easily follow your work history down the page. There is no need to go crazy with bold and italicized fonts in different colors.

Avoid using borders and underlines to separate sections on your resume. As long as you have everything labeled appropriately, an employer will be able to understand it.

5. Missing Critical Information

Don’t make the common resume mistake of forgetting to include pertinent contact information. Make sure the header of your resume includes your full name, phone number and email address. You can also include a link to your LinkedIn profile or your address. If an employer doesn’t have your contact information, they won’t be able to reach you to set up an interview or offer you a job.

Always list the month and year you started and finished each position on your resume. Job seekers avoid adding dates to their work history for various reasons, but this is a huge common resume mistake to avoid! Omitting dates makes employers feel that you are hiding something.

List the appropriate job title for each of your positions. New employers will most likely conduct employment verifications on your work history and reference checks, so it’s important you have all the correct information. If there is a discrepancy with your job title or dates of employment, your new employer will be suspicious.

Lastly, one of the biggest of the five resume mistakes you need to avoid is leaving off software or programs that you’ve used. Be sure to list these, especially since an employer may be screening resumes electronically, and you don’t want to be overlooked because of what you left out.

Find Your Dream Job

Keep these five easily avoidable common resume mistakes on hand next time you update your resume and you’ll be sure to land a great job in no time! If you’ve been struggling with the job search for some time, consider working with a staffing agency for a qualified partner in seeking your dream job.

Ace Your Phone Interview with these Tips

WAI Staff

Phone interviews are common because they provide a great way for hiring teams to narrow down their pool of applicants prior to in-person or video interviews. For that reason, preparing for a phone interview is important if you want to move on to the next round. The following are our initial phone interview tips to help you prepare for your next interview.

1. Avoid Distractions

  • While on the phone with a potential employer, you should limit distractions. A good phone interview tip is to make sure you have a quiet and distraction free environment in which to talk to the hiring manager.

2. Be Articulate

  • Your voice is the only tool you have to express yourself on a phone interview, so make sure you speak articulately and clearly. You also want to avoid trailing off or rambling when answering the interviewer’s questions. Pause occasionally so that your interviewer can process what you are saying and digest the information fully.

3. Prepare

  • An initial phone interview tip is that it’s a great time to ask any preliminary questions you might have about the job opportunity, so you should have a list prepared before the call. Also, keep the job description handy and be sure you’ve researched the company to ensure you are fully informed.
  • While preparing for a phone interview, it helps to brainstorm examples of your past experiences that you can talk about. For example, compile a list of examples where you took initiative, demonstrated your organizational skills, or worked as a team player.

4. Be Yourself

  • It can be difficult to convey your personality over the phone in an interview, but don’t forget to be personable and friendly. While you want to maintain professionalism, you also want to be yourself.
  • Try not to come across as if you are reading a script when having a phone interview; you want to come across confident and friendly, not rehearsed. Smiling while you talk can help improve the sound of your voice and put more energy into what you’re saying.

5. Express Interest

  • At the end of the phone screen, be sure to thank your interviewer for their time and consideration. If you are interested in moving forward with the interview process, don’t be afraid to say so! Hiring managers will be more inclined to move forward with applicants who are visibly interested in and excited about the position.

We hope these tips will help you with preparing for that next phone interview. Check out the rest of our blog for additional job searching and interview tips.

8 Tips For Making A Career Change

Julie Lindgren, President, Whitman Associates, Inc.

Wondering how to change careers with little or no experience in a new space? You’re not alone! It’s perfectly normal and quite routine to want to explore something new. Our outlook and life goals tend to change with time and so do our professional ambitions. Most people spend most of their waking hours, or a third of their lives, at work. After a long time in one job, you may find that it’s just not fulfilling anymore. 

The important thing when you feel this itch is to act on it and not bury it. Making a career change is an exciting life event and you should treat it as such. Keep a positive attitude and avoid getting bogged down by the work involved. The fact that you’re reading this blog is an excellent start! 

smiling woman

Here are our top suggestions on how to change careers even with no experience outside your industry.

1. Identify Your Reasons for Wanting a Change

The process of making a successful career change begins with yourself. If you feel unsatisfied with your current job or a lingering irritation when you’re at work, dig a little deeper to understand what’s driving those feelings. Is it your team or the office environment? The pay? The work itself? 

The most common reasons people change their careers include gaining a better work-life balance, increasing salary or benefits, and challenging themselves professionally. Identifying the reason you’re unhappy will help you find a career that makes sense for you. You can then create a plan and work towards a definite goal, instead of spamming resumes at new job listings.   

2. Discover the Right Career for You

It’s possible that you might have identified your reasons for making a career change, but you don’t know which career to change to. This is a good thing! It means you’re taking time to consider your options instead of making a hasty decision. 

A good place to start is your skillset. Think about the similarities in your previous roles. Are there any skills or activities that stand out to you? A career in product development also makes you an excellent researcher and analyst. These are useful skills for a lateral shift into anything from consultancy to business intelligence.

Make sure you’re not just ideating within yourself. Talk to people and solicit opinions. You’d be surprised at how many have been through the same situation and can offer useful career advice. Speak to your boss too — if you have a relationship that allows that. They can highlight your strengths and weaknesses as they see them and give you new ideas for your move.

3. Upskill Yourself

Sometimes, you may lack the necessary hard skills for a particular job. This is often the case when making a career change in a technical space. For instance, you might have a background in operations and discover that you have a passion for coding. In this case, it’s a good idea to spend some time and money on a coding course.  

This is how you change careers with no experience in your new field. Recruiters will notice your commitment to your new career and consider it a positive in your application.

4. Keep an Eye Out for Opportunities in Your Company

Making a career change doesn’t necessarily mean spending hours scouring various job portals. Sometimes, the right opportunity can be available in your own company. We’ll let you in on a secret. Internal hiring is often the most favored way for recruiters and hiring managers to fill a vacancy. This is because the candidate is already familiar with the company, industry, and work culture. This cuts down on the time you have to spend adjusting to a new place and can let you hit the ground running.

It’s also a great way for you as a candidate to comfortably ease into a role you’re not familiar with. 

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Start Over

If you’re truly passionate about making a career change, then go all the way. Consider taking a pay cut or even starting at the bottom of the ladder if you need to. Doing this doesn’t mean that your career thus far has been wasted. On the contrary, your experience will shine through and let you rise quicker than your peers in the same role. Remember that the whole point of making a career change is to move on from a job that’s holding you back.  

6. Network Well

Your network is highly correlated to your net worth. Research has consistently shown that referred candidate hirings result in much better outcomes. Tap into your professional and personal networks to find people who can help you and maybe even refer you. If you don’t know anyone personally, be bold and put yourself out there. Seek out people in the industry or function you want to move into. Be upfront with them about the fact that you’re making a career change. You might not earn referrals with every connection, but at the very least, they’re likely to agree to be an advisor or sounding board in the future.

7. Find Someone to Show You the Ropes

Part of your objective with networking should be to find a mentor—someone you can rely on for practical guidance and in-depth advice. A good mentor is someone who has achieved a lot of success in the space you want to move into. Their experience can be a huge asset and help you plan effectively as you make your shift.

Also, consider volunteering and pro-bono work when making a career change. This is a great way to gain hands-on experience in a new area. It’ll also help you add something relevant to your CV and make useful connections.

8. Consider Starting a Business

Starting your own business is an excellent option for early, mid, and late-career professionals. It means you’re taking matters into your own hands and you don’t have to worry about how to change careers with no experience. You learn on the job.

As a freelancer, solopreneur, or entrepreneur, you don’t need to grind out a rigid recruitment process. You can let your skills speak for yourself with your prospective clients. A hidden advantage in making such a career change is that as a business leader, you tend to connect with other business leaders.

A career change can be a big boost for your professional and personal life. If you approach it right, it’s likely to be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. 

If you’re actively thinking about making a career change, consider registering yourself with Whitman Associates. We’re professional staffing experts based in the D.C. metropolitan area. Explore all our job openings, including our permanent and temporary jobs to find a good fit for your move. Browse through our employment tips and job-search advice for more information on how to change careers with little or no experience. 

Being Punctual

WAI Staff
A man in a suit checking the time

Punctuality is a critical quality for any professional and is one mark of a good worker. From arriving on time to the office to submitting punctual work, meeting these timing expectations creates a solid foundation for your career. While this may seem obvious, many professionals need help learning how to be punctual. From constant distractions to an over-reliance on navigation app ETA predictions, it’s easy to be late accidentally. Even unemployed job seekers must know timeframes and deadlines when interviewing and applying for jobs. For now, we will focus on the importance of being punctual for a job interview and provide some rules to help make sure you are always on time in the future.

Rule #1: Don’t be late.

  • If you realize ahead of time that you are running late for an interview, call your interviewer immediately and let them know your situation. Be sure to apologize for the inconvenience, and don’t make up any crazy excuses if it’s not the truth. Hiring managers deal with this constantly– they can tell when somebody is not being genuine.
  • In a tough job market, hiring managers have their pick regarding capable candidates. Being punctual is critical – even showing up five minutes late for a job interview could disqualify you for a position.
  • If a hiring manager can’t trust you to show up on time for an interview, they have no reason to trust that you know how to be punctual or will submit work on time. Remember, this is their first impression of you. Even if being late is out of character for you, the employer won’t know this and will be forced to decide based on this interaction.

Rule #2: Being too early is the same as being late.

  • Being punctual is better than being too early. Only show up at most fifteen minutes early for a job interview unless you were otherwise instructed. 
  • Showing up too early for an interview can make you appear desperate to hiring managers. Think of a job interview as attending a party—you wouldn’t want to arrive too early as it would be impolite and you would look too eager. Plus, you could inconvenience a busy hiring manager by being too early.
  • If you are early for an interview, a hiring manager will attribute your showing up a half hour early to your bad time management skills rather than think of you as punctual. Instead, if you find yourself too early for an interview, you can find a nearby coffee shop where you can wait. You may even be able to do some last-minute interview prep while you’re there!

Rule #3: Know where you’re going ahead of time.

  • Just like you would plan out project milestones in advance to ensure punctual work, you’ll want to plan your route to the interview to ensure a punctual arrival time. If you have time and are unfamiliar with the area, visit the company’s office before your interview so that you can prioritize being punctual by knowing exactly where you’re going and how long it will take you to get there.
  • Suppose you don’t have time to scope out your route physically; use the Internet to plan it. Think about all the steps involved, such as figuring out where you’ll park or if your car has enough gas. You don’t want to be late because it took twenty minutes to find a parking space.
  • While scoping out the route and the area to plan for your interview, take the time to review whether this commute would work for you and if you could be punctual to work in the long term. Remember, job interviews go both ways. You are also deciding if this office is the right fit for your needs, and your commute and surrounding area are two critical factors in job satisfaction.

Rule #4: Show up early, but don’t go in.

  • The best advice we can give you is to allow extra time for your interview. Even if you run into unforeseen trouble, such as traffic or delays on public transportation, cautious planning will help you to be punctual. It’s better to waste some of your own time by adding wiggle room into your commute than to waste your hiring manager’s time.
  • If you don’t hit any delays and end up outside the office twenty minutes early, don’t go in! As mentioned above, find somewhere nearby you can kill time before your interview, such as a coffee shop or deli. Use the extra time to review your notes one last time.

Additional guidance and advice

At Whitman Associates, Inc., we’re rooting for you! We aim to help you find the perfect fit for your next job. Being punctual is just one of many attributes potential employers seek. For more insightful career advice, explore our blog for additional tips and guidance. Want some more personalized job-hunting strategies? Reach out to Whitman Associates today with your resume!

Why You Need a Business Card When You Are Unemployed

WAI Staff

hands exchanging a business card

.header-image{display:none!important;}ul,ol{margin: 0 0 20px 24px;}Many times, people wrongly assume that if they are unemployed or a recent graduate that they do not need a business card. This is a very bad assumption. If you are unemployed you should most definitely have a business card on you at all times. You never know who you might meet that could lead you to a job. A business card is, if nothing else, a big reminder on a tiny card. Most people keep business cards and go through them periodically when searching for new leads.

The point of having a business card when you’re unemployed is to create a physical reminder of your availability and to give a quick snippet of your information and qualifications. If you unexpectedly meet someone who would be a great industry connection, having an “about me” business card is much more professional than, say, writing your name and phone number on a restaurant napkin.

If you’re wondering about what to put on business cards when you’re unemployed, where to get them printed or how to format the best design, explore our advice here!

What to Put On Your Business Card When You’re Unemployed

Business cards when you are unemployed are a little more complicated than the average creation. You have no official title or position, no logo or branding, and no official business phone line. But, you’ll need to create a professional image if you want to provide people with your information, fast track your job search and put yourself out there in the market.

It’s also important to include your industry or degree on your card. For instance: “International Relations” or “Automotive Repairs.” If you have a specialized license or certification, include that as well, even if you haven’t had a job as a “Licensed Social Worker” or “Certified Business Analysis Professional” yet.

All “about me” business cards should have the following information:

  • Full Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone Number
  • Degree or Industry

Flesh out your job seeker business card with examples of additional important information about you:

  • Website, Portfolio, or LinkedIn URL (if applicable)
  • You can put a link to your site within a QR code or type the web address.
  • Job Title
  • Specialty or certifications

Where to Get a Business Card

Office supply stores and printing shops are happy to help design and print your business cards, but full service can be somewhat pricey if you are unemployed and on a budget.
You can save money and buy the paper from an office supply store and print “about me” business cards yourself using Microsoft Office or a similar program. If you want more professional cards, you can check out Moo, VistaPrint or other similar companies. Whichever route you choose, you can explore templates and designs to ensure your business cards look professional, even if you are unemployed.

Who You Should Give Your Business Card To

If you’re wondering who to give business cards to when you’re unemployed, the answer is everyone!
Ok, maybe not exactly everyone, but networking is the key. If your friend says, “My uncle works in that industry, you should talk to him,” ask if you can give him your business card. When you see an opportunity to hand out a business card at a professional event or conference, don’t hesitate. Doing nothing is the worst thing you can do. Always make sure you have plenty of cards on you when you go to any type of networking event, career fair or interview.

More Advice from Whitman Associates, Inc.

Business cards when you are unemployed are a great way to jumpstart your hiring process. Looking for a little more guidance before diving into the job searching pool? Whitman Associates, Inc. is always here with advice and support. Explore our blog for job seekers or reach out to us for more personalized strategies today!

Good luck and happy printing those business cards.

4 Disadvantages of Remote Working

WAI Staff

The pandemic has changed many things about the structure of work within our society. Many offices adapted well to work-from-home culture, but others are experiencing difficulties. Whether it’s issues with collaboration or concerns about security, working from home comes with some serious hurdles for certain industries. Learn more about a few of the disadvantages of remote working and discover solutions to those disadvantages here.

1. Difficulty with Collaboration

With your employees spread all around the city or even the country, it’s a lot harder to get together for collaborative work. Sometimes, different time zones, technical difficulties, and distractions at home make finding meeting times that work for everyone a challenge. Working together over the phone or a video call is a communication barrier that can disrupt even the shortest conversation. Worse, it’s no longer possible to just walk to a coworker’s desk for quick answers! Instead, employees must opt for communication via phone, email, or office chat.

Resolving Remote Collaboration Concerns

This disadvantage of remote working is primarily due to a lack of a flexible, fast, and responsive communication platform. Since emails and phone calls aren’t as efficient or effective as talking to someone in person, teams need new tools to battle this disadvantage of telecommuting for work. Many companies are turning to file-sharing applications that already come with chat features for better communication with the team, including Google Docs and Slack.

2. Cybersecurity & Confidentiality

a woman working from a coffee shop

Even if your business doesn’t deal with proprietary or patented information, cybersecurity and confidentiality are still important. When most of your team is working from home, it can be difficult to ensure security when each individual computer needs additional antivirus software, VPN configurations, and extra firewalls. Even more challenging is providing security for employees who choose to work over public wifi, like those in coffee shops or shared workspaces.

Any confidentiality or security breach could be a potential disaster for your business. Whether it’s a non-employee overhearing a confidential discussion or seeing sensitive documents, or a team member accidentally downloading a virus, your business needs to plan for better security to mitigate the potential damage of this disadvantage of remote working.

Resolving Security Risks

One way to reduce your vulnerabilities is by storing all business data and files on a cloud management platform. Don’t let employees save important information on their laptop or home computer hard drive. You can also require that employees use VPNs when working and set up remote access to their computers in the office (if you still have a physical office space).

Regular security trainings are also an essential part of any company policy, even when working in an office. Cover typical phishing and virus scams they may encounter and educate your team on the importance of password hygiene, two-factor authentication, and the dangers of connecting to public wifi networks.

3. Inconsistent Access to Internet & Tools

Because employees are in their homes, they’re using whichever internet provider is available and affordable in their area. Unfortunately, there are significant disparities in high-quality internet access throughout the country, and a lack of reliable service is common in rural communities. This is a major disadvantage of remote working, as many people have subpar connection speeds and reliability. Even homes with decent internet connections may experience slow upload and download speeds when too many people are utilizing the network, leading to poor audio and video connections during video calls, issues with buffering, and slow loading programs.

Resolving Connectivity Issues

Your team needs access to the right technology in order to overcome this disadvantage of remote working. Bolster their internet connection with appropriate hardware, like ethernet cables, to support spotty wifi connections, and set up a remote helpdesk to deal with any IT issues that may crop up. A remote IT team trained in connectivity concerns has the power to support your teams if anything goes wrong. Make sure your IT team has a robust ticketing system and self-help SSO.

Counteracting this particular disadvantage of telecommuting may require an even bigger investment for some companies. Any team that needs to run heavy-duty rendering or editing software may need specialty computers that can process all that data. You may want to invest in additional computer hardware to outfit your team’s home office with better technology than they may already have.

4. Isolation

woman working from home

 Isolation is a much bigger disadvantage of remote working than people think – especially for those who live alone. Without frequent face-to-face contact, your employees could be dealing with chronic isolation and loneliness that lowers morale and productivity. When people work in an office, human interaction is necessary and built into the day-to-day routines. Employees interact in the hallways and breakrooms, the elevators and parking structures, and in various meetings throughout the day. They may also commune with others while on their daily commute at coffee shops, the metro, and restaurants. Working from home eliminates the potential contact with all these people!

Resolving Isolation Concerns

Regular check-ins with your team could go a long way to dealing with this disadvantage of remote working. In addition to conversations about current work tasks and projects, it’s important to also check in with your employees regarding their personal lives. There’s certainly no need to pry, but creating a space where your team members feel safe to express themselves if they wish to can help prevent frustrations and challenges from building up. This may be a new management style that requires a more personal touch, but it will help your team build higher quality connections, better communication, and more trust.

Will Your Office Continue Working From Home?

There are many other disadvantages of remote working, but some teams are rising to the challenge. This evolution in workflow, company structure, and technology has pushed many businesses to find innovative solutions that ensure they’re stronger and more sustainable. What about you? What will your company do to combat the disadvantages of telecommuting to ensure your success?

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