Local career coaching site offers advice

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Unemployment numbers continue to plague New York. While rates did improve from July to August in Central New York, it's estimated the area lost about 100 jobs over the month. "People who have worked maybe five, 10 years, recently found themselves displaced and now they're confronted with an interview and no interview skills at all. The question may be, so can you tell me a little bit about yourself? And a lot of people start talking about their hobbies, their families and their life. And really what the interviewer wants to know is how does it relate to their professional career," said Jeffrey Garber, the co-founder of 360JobInterview.com

That's why sites like Garber's 360JobInterview.com have received growing popularity. The company was founded this past May in Fayetteville. They've created a virtual world with more than 300 coaches who are on-call 24 hours a day.

"These coaches are HR professionals from director level and higher and they have been the gate-keepers for years in their respective industries," said Garber.

"You get the inside information about what that industry is like. Maybe some of the technical buzzwords you might want to think about, what the culture is like in that industry," said Amy Van Kirk, a 360 senior account executive.

There are also do's and don'ts that overlap all industries.

"Explain that they are very technical, they are extremely savvy in multi-tasking, which is extremely important these days because a lot of firms are working with fewer people," said Van Kirk.

"Don't just go on a job board, click off a number of jobs that you send your resume out and then hope for the best. It's time to really assess your skills, make sure that you not only have one resume but multiple resumes and that they really hone in on your skill talents," said Garber.

Along with teaching, health care and engineering, jobs in the green sector, as well as in social outreach have also become increasingly popular.