The economy and the job market are both starting to bounce back - companies are now hiring and the unemployment rate is slowly dropping. However, competition is fierce as the new jobs are becoming available and hiring managers are having to sift through hundreds of resumes. However, some characteristics will set you apart from other applicants. According to U.S. News, there are a couple things that hiring managers wished they could tell applicants, and the main sentiment among the hiring managers was the ability to show an initiative and be honest will get you far. "We want to you to ask questions," wrote Allison Greene, a hiring manager, for the news source, "Your interviewer wants to know that you're interested in the details of the job, the department, your prospective supervisor's management style, and the culture of the organization. Otherwise, you risk signaling that you are either not that interested or just haven't thought very much about it." Other things that hiring managers are looking out for are honesty, strong cover letter and resume, work ethic and recommendations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in May dropped from 9.9% to 9.7%, adding 431,000 to the work force.  |