VanderHouwen Blog
VanderHouwen’s blog is your one-stop resource for resume and job search tips, professional development guidance, recruiting best practices, and the latest news on employment trends we’re seeing in the market. Whether you’re on the hunt for your next job opportunity or seeking to hire talented candidates, we’ve got you covered. Learn from VanderHouwen’s experienced recruiting team so you can land your dream job or build your team with top talent.
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Don’t Lose Out on a Job Offer! Avoid These Mistakes
You aced the interviews, met the team, discussed a formal job offer and the hiring…
Working Parents: How to Pandemic-Proof Your Back-to-School Plan
Working remotely with kids at home can be hectic. From unexpected noises and distractions to…
Your Résumé Can Beat the Bots - Here's How
Ever wonder where your résumé goes after you apply to a job online? To organize…
CHECKLIST: Should You Hire a Contractor?
Originally published July 6, 2017, and revised July 28, 2020. Taking on a new employee…
Decrease Distractions to Increase Productivity
If the pandemic taught us one work-related thing, it’s this—working fully remote is a big…
Beginner’s Guide to Contracting
Are you looking to learn new skills or work with cutting edge technology? Maybe contracting…
Creating a Remote Onboarding Process That Works
The employment landscape has shifted since COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders began. Entire organizations have been disrupted…
40 Motivational Quotes to Keep Moving Forward
It is natural to need some external motivation from time to time, even at work.…
How to Switch Industries in the Middle of Your Career
Originally published May 18, 2018, and revised May 21, 2020. Does the pandemic have you…
Practicing Joy at Work (Even From Home!)
When you’re in a comfortable and inspiring environment, your creativity and productivity levels are at…
Portland Area COVID-19 Resources
With quarantine measures in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon, the…
Virtual Interview? No Problem! Video Interview Tips During Quarantine
With many cities enacting quarantine or shelter in place measures, in-person interviews aren’t possible. As…
How to Be Successful While Working Remotely
Originally published November 16, 2017 and revised March 20, 2020. Today’s workplaces are changing. More…
COVID-19 Response
As the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus continues, we want to reaffirm that our focus…
How to Prepare for a Phone Interview
Originally published April 12, 2017 and revised March 16, 2020. After countless job application submissions,…
Job Hunting Tips for New Grads
Whether you’ve graduated with your first degree or have gone back for a second (or…
What to Consider When Deciding Between a Contract or Full-Time Position
This post was originally published on 10/18/18 and updated on 3/6/20. The hiring market has…
Team Building: Creating Strong Relationships at Work
Trust is the foundation of any relationship and work is no exception. Strong teams boast…
Interview Tips for Answering Tough Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions are the bread and butter of job interviews. They give the hiring manager…
Self-Advocacy in the Workplace
Self-advocacy could be one of the greatest skills you build this year–especially when it comes…
Performance Reviews That Inspire Employees
The new year has arrived and that means it's performance review season! While your team…
Achieve Your Big Career Goals (and Other Professional Development Tips for 2020)
The New Year is a perfect time to make resolutions and set strong goals for…
A Complete Guide for Getting Hired at a Fortune 500 Company
Getting hired at a Fortune 500 company is a dream for some. Beautiful and modern…
5 Ways to Avoid Employee Burnout During The Busy Season
Year-end is one of the busiest times of the year for accounting professionals. Reconciling the…
Conquering the Job Search Blues
While the unemployment rate has gone down in recent years, the duration of unemployment has…
Year-End Forecasting: Creating a Planning Model That Works
Year-end in the accounting world is all about closing out the current year but planning…
How to Retain Your Top Talent
Retaining key employees is critical to the long-term growth and success of every business. Studies…
Job Search Taking Forever? Re-inspire Yourself With This Expert Advice
As a job seeker, you know that searching for a new role is tough. Sprucing…
6 Tips for Hiring in a Talent Shortage
It’s no secret that unemployment is at an all-time low. In the technology industry, this…
Shifting the Gender Gap: How to Support Women in Tech
Becky Priebe is an Experience Designer with 15+ years of practice in tech. From startups…
How to Talk About Work-Life Balance With Your Boss
Work-life balance has been a rising trend over the last few years, with leading companies…
How to Ask for a Promotion: 6 Tips for Success
Has your job title been the same for a long time? Are you regularly taking…
8 Thought Leaders to Inspire Your Career
When it comes to your career, is it better to think outside of the box…
Why Highly-Valued Employees Leave (and How to Prevent It)
Turnover is an inevitable part of business, but when employees leave, especially when they’re high…
How to Provide Career Growth Opportunities for Your Employees
As a leader at your company, helping employees grow their skillset is an important part…
4 Tips for Hiring Out-of-State Candidates
In this competitive employment market, you already know how tough it is to find the…
6 Unique Ways to Stand Out During the Hiring Process
According to research from Glassdoor, the average job opening attracts 250 resumes. Out of those…
How to Write Inclusive Job Posts
Did you know that a diverse workforce leads to greater business results? In 2019, diversity…
How to Navigate Your Professional Development
Are you feeling stagnant in your career? Do you have your eyes on a promotion?…
Warning: Don’t Ask Your Interviewer These 5 Questions
For candidates, the job interview is the most critical and often most difficult part of…
How to Avoid Being Ghosted by Your Recruiter
In an increasingly digital world, ghosting has become the new norm: people are purposely disappearing…
Competitive Employee Benefits in Today’s Market
With the national unemployment rate still at a record low, we’ve reached a point where…
How to Make the Right Job Choice
So, you’ve crafted a pristine resume, mastered your cover letter writing skills, and spent multiple…
When it's Time to Contact a Recruiter
Most organizations use recruiting agencies at some point in their hiring journey. Teams that hire…
How to Determine if a Job has the Right Office Culture For You
As a job seeker, you know that finding your dream job isn’t just about the…
What to Do When You Receive a Counter-Offer
As a job seeker, you know that the job market is constantly changing. In September…
9 Tips for a Seamless Onboarding Process
The hiring market is in a frenzy. More jobs are posted than there are candidates…
6 of the Most Horrifying Job Interview Mistakes
This post was originally posted on 10/7/17 and updated on 10/11/18 Interviews can go poorly…
How to Prepare for an Interview
Job interviews are an inevitable part of the hiring process, but for many job seekers,…
Why You Should Attend a Meetup
Meetups aren’t a new trend—they have been popping up around the Portland tech scene for…
Don’t Forget This Resume Essential
In today's world of job searching, the digital age is here to stay. Most of…
What Questions Should You Ask During a Technical Interview?
Hiring in today’s market is more complex and nuanced than ever before—especially when it comes…
Why Your Competition is Hiring the Candidates You Want
Your competition is outshining your dated hiring process—here’s why and what you should do about…
How to Nail the 5 Most Common Interview Questions
As a job seeker, you’re all too familiar with the interview process. You’ve sat around…
How to Overcome Workplace Adversity: Use a Setback as a Learning Opportunity
At some point in our lives, all of us will face some kind of adversity.…
What To Do When An Employer Doesn’t Call You Back
Does this scenario sound familiar? You find the perfect job at a great organization that…
How to Write a Cover Letter That Stands Out
It’s official—you’ve identified the perfect job for the next step in your career. As a…
What Job Seekers Need to Know About Glassdoor
As a job seeker, you know that looking for your dream job is no easy…
How to Optimize Your Employer Glassdoor Page
As the way people search and apply for jobs continues to change, digital platforms…
What Not to Do When Applying For a Job
Whether it’s writing cover letters, formatting your resume, or prepping for interviews, as a job…
How to Craft the Perfect Follow Up Email
When it comes to your job search, it’s important to take advantage of every opportunity.…
How to Avoid Making Bad Hires
If you read our earlier blog on the cost of making a bad hire, you…
The Cost of Making a Bad Hire
If you’ve ever been in a workplace where a bad hire was let go, you…
2018 Salary Guides
Stay up to date on Portland's job market Are you offering a competitive salary…
How to Find a Job You Love
What does it mean to love your job? If you spend every work day daydreaming…
6 Steps to Landing a Promotion This Year
Whether you're looking for a fresh start, jumpstarting your job hunt, setting goals for what’s…
2018 Economic Trends for the Portland Metro Area by Christian Kaylor, OED
This 2018 economic forecast is written by Portland Economist Christian Kaylor. Christian Kaylor is a…
6 Tips for Making the Right Hire
As a hiring manager, you have a lot on your plate. Finding the right candidate…
VanderHouwen Turns 30!
Today marks VanderHouwen’s 30th anniversary. We’ve come a long way in three decades—we’ve grown significantly,…
A Go-To List of Career Development Resources for Tech Pros
If you’re in a STEM field, you likely are intimately familiar with how rapidly technology…
What to Do When Your Top Candidate Receives a Counter-Offer
Hiring the right team can keep managers up at night. Screening job applications, interviewing candidates,…
Staying Active on LinkedIn: A How-To-Guide
When was the last time you logged in to LinkedIn? If you only use LinkedIn…
4 Qualities of a Great Recruiter
Job seekers, especially tech candidates, get approached by recruiters all the time. And when your…
4 Tips for Staying Organized in Your Job Search
It can be really easy to feel overwhelmed with all the moving parts of a…
Oregon 2017 Equal Pay Act: What You Need to Know
Staying up-to-date on employment legislation is an essential part of any hiring manager or HR…
6 Advanced Ways to Use LinkedIn to Land Your Next Job
Are you on the job hunt? Many job seekers are familiar with LinkedIn as a…
What’s the Right Salary for Accounting & Finance Employees?
What motivates your employees? In a 2017 salary survey conducted by Dice, participants were asked:…
5 Questions Hiring Managers Should Ask When Evaluating Their Relationship with Their Recruiter
In many ways, the hiring process can be quite a challenge. In this candidate-driven market,…
In Honor and Memory of Our Friend and Colleague, Mike Mitchell
Loss of any person in life is never easy. It goes without saying that the…
4 Steps to Creating an Effective Succession Planning Strategy
Of the many “what ifs” in running an organization, employee development and turnover have a…
5 Tips for an Effective Job Search
Searching for a job can be frustrating, especially if you aren’t getting the traction that…
3 Major Engineering Innovations to Look For in 2017
From artificial intelligence to industrial innovations, engineering plays a significant role in how businesses and…
6 Steps to Relocating to a New City
There are plenty of reasons to move to a new city or town—starting a new…
How to Map Out Your Career Path
Where do you see yourself in five years? You’ve probably heard a version of this…
How to Write an Effective Job Post: Part 2
This post is a continuation of our two-part blog series, How to Write an Effective…
How to Write an Effective Job Post: Part 1
Whether you’re a first time hiring manager or a seasoned HR veteran, crafting an effective…
A Look Back on 2016
What a year it’s been! As 2016 comes to a close, we at VanderHouwen would…
Why Networking Matters for Engineers
Networking matters when it comes to engineering. Whether you’re a mechanical engineer, work in industrial…
5 Skills Developers Need to Stay Competitive in 2017
Ready to get to work? Let’s start with the facts. According to the US Bureau…
4 Tips for Managing a Millennial Workforce
Last year, millennials surpassed baby boomers as the largest generation in the United States. Born…
VanderHouwen Has Rebranded!
Have you noticed anything different about us recently? On Wednesday, October 19, 2016 we had…
Interview Prep Guide
Interviewing is hard. We’ve partnered with thousands of candidates over the years so we feel especially qualified to say that nobody finds interviewing easy. No matter your experience level, you would probably agree the interview process can be a high-stress ordeal. That’s why we compiled an Interview Prep Guide.
Five Signs that Indicate it’s Time for a New Job
We all have bad days at work. Even those of us who love our jobs and find our careers to be fulfilling have days when we feel like we just can’t take it anymore. After a stressful project is finished or a long week is over, do you still find yourself fantasizing about leaving your current company for another role?
Getting a Candidate to Say Yes
Having a candidate turn down an offer isn’t just frustrating, it’s also a waste of time, resources, and can be detrimental to team morale. When a candidate hesitates on a final job offer, it can be a sign that you haven’t done all you could do to get them to “yes.” So what do you need to do to get your top candidate to accept your offer?
Employee Perks That Actually Matter
The most successful companies not only offer benefits that help secure candidates during the hiring phase, but also keep employees engaged and satisfied over time.
Four Ways to Become a Better Networker
Do you dread networking? From mingling and small talk to having to approach strangers, networking can be downright draining. But connecting with people doesn’t have to be a chore. Meeting new people is a great way to learn about the job market, improve your personal and professional brand, and create referrals for your next career opportunity.
How to Hire the Right Staffing Agency
Finding the right staffing agency is a lot like finding the right employee – it takes a tiny amount of luck, a little bit of investigating and a whole lot of diligence.
Resume Writing 101
If there’s one thing the VanderHouwen team understands, it’s resumes. Over the years, we’ve reviewed, edited and advised on thousands of resumes. We understand what it takes to make a resume stand out from the rest.