Five Job Search Secrets
1. The successful job seeker:
- Is not necessarily the applicant with the best qualifications for the job, but the one that knows how to prepare to look for a job.
- Is selective. Screen out employers the same way they screen you. You have as much control over your job search as the employers do.
- Has clear career goals and keeps them in mind when looking for a job.
- Is able to convince the employer that hiring him will benefit the company more than it will cost the company.
- Impresses the employer by showing how much he wants the job and being enthusiastic about the work.
- Is persistent – more on that later.
2. Know where to look for a job
If you have been at the same job for 5 or 10 years and have not looked for a job recently, you will be surprised at how the job market has changed in the last few years.
Here are some of the different ways to look for a job:
- Print ads - Yes, newspapers, trade publications, and magazines still exist and you should not overlook them.
- Internet – The Internet offers a wide variety of places that post job openings. Here are links to the most important ones:
General job sites
www.jobsbyfax.com www.monster.com www.hotjobs.com www.vault.com www.employment911.com www.careerbuilder.com
Resume distribution sites – distribute your resume to hundreds or thousands of employers with one click. www.resumerabbit.com resumezapper.com
College boards
www.collegegrad.com www.nacelink.com www.collegejournal.com www.experience.com www.ecampusrecruiter.com www.collegerecruiter.com
Recruiters and staffing firms
www.rileyguide.com www.randstad.com www.kellyservices.com www.kornferry.com www.manpower.com www.recruitersonline.com
Specialized job sites – sites that specialize on a particular trade. Do a search on the Internet for employments sites for your particular field.
- Employment Agencies
- Target specific companies - send your resume to companies that you would like to work for even if they are not hiring. There is a 14% average turnaround a year in any given company, so even if they are not hiring today, they might be tomorrow.
- Ads in professional journals
- Trade associations for your field
- Network – check with friends, family and business acquaintances. Everybody knows somebody that knows somebody else. Your next employer might be closer than you think and you will walk in with the advantage of a recommendation.
3. The purpose of your resume is to get you an interview
A resume is an advertisement of your skills, abilities and accomplishments. It is a way to establish yourself as a professional in your field. Your resume must present your experience and qualifications in a way that will get you noticed immediately and will get you an interview. Remember, you cannot get a job without first having an interview!
Most employers receive hundreds, sometimes thousands of résumés for every job that they post. That means you are actually competing with hundreds of people for the same job, so you need to stand out from the crowd.
Your resume only has a few seconds to grab the attention of the person that is scanning the résumés. Your resume needs to stand out from the rest and in only a few seconds tell the employer that you are the right person for the job.
Your resume sets the stage for the actual interview. Most employers use your resume as a platform to launch the interview questions. When your information is presented effectively, it will make the employer want to know more about you. This will give you the opportunity to sell yourself in person. Without an effective resume you will never get that far! And, in fact, an improper resume could effectively end your career.
4. Avoid the following interview mistakes
- Not asking questions – One of the biggest mistakes you can make on an interview is not asking questions or saying you already answered my questions. It shows that you do not care enough to find out more about the company or the position. However, do not ask about vacations or coffee breaks. You should research the company ahead of time and prepare a few questions for the interviewer.
Look around the lobby while you wait and check for plaques, company magazines or brochures, or anything else that will give you information about the company. Then you may comment on something you found in your research.
Or you may ask your interviewer what it is that he/she enjoys the most about working for this company or what a typical day at the position you want would be like.
- Focusing on you instead of on the company – The interviewer is not at all interested in your wants or needs. Everything you say or do in an interview has to show what you bring to the position and how you will help solve their problem.
- Being unprepared for the interview – If you do not prepare before the interview you will surely stumble through the questions and you will not come across as self assured and confident.
Preparations include researching the company, having an effective resume and cover letter (more on that ahead), preparing the answers to the questions that you are likely to be asked (more on that in the last section of this guide), and rehearsing every aspect of the interview in your mind.
- Not selling yourself – some people have the ability to sell sand to beach residents, but even if you do not have that ability, you still have to manage to sell yourself to the interviewer so that you can get the job.
Selling becomes a lot easier when you know and believe in the product you are selling, in this case you. Therefore, you need to make an assessment of all the skills, experience, accomplishments, and abilities that you possess that will help you in the position that you are seeking. Being mentally aware of all your positives will lift your self-esteem and you will be able to sell yourself effectively.
- Personal appearance – The way you dress and act should match the culture of the company that you are interviewing with and the position that you are applying for. If you are applying for a job as a bartender in a tiki hut then it is probably ok to wear shorts and flip-flops. Otherwise, you need to dress in a conservative manner.
If at all possible, find out in advance how you are expected to dress in the position that you are applying for, and then dress one step above that. I would rather be overdressed than underdressed any day of the week!
Dress - Your appearance should be neat and pulled together. Your clothes should be clean and wrinkle free and should fit properly. Sir, no button alerts from your shirt, please. Do not flash the interviewer when you sit because of your micro mini skirt, madam.
Miscellaneous - Your shoes should be shined and in good condition. Your breath should be fresh. Your hands should be neat (no flashy colors for you ladies). Accessories should be conservative and kept to a minimum. Save your Marvin the Martian tie for a more casual occasion. Nose rings are fine for an usher at a rock concert, but not for any position in the corporate world. If you want the job, you have to look the part!
Pardon my French - Same principle applies to your speech. It goes without saying that you should not curse during an interview, but also avoid using slang. On the other hand, avoid using too much technical jargon, especially if the interviewer is an HR person and is not familiar with the terminology. Try to match your pitch and tone to that of the interviewer as much as possible.
If you are guilty of any of these interview fashion ”faux pases” you are basically telling the interviewer that you do not care enough about the company to look and act your best and that you are careless and sloppy. The interviewer will probably assume that you will carry those characteristics to the job and will be negatively impacted (translation: you will not get the job).
5. Be persistent – follow up
Less than one percent of all job applicants follow up after an interview and they miss out on one more opportunity to sell themselves to the hiring person.
You should send a thank you letter immediately (more on that later), but also call the person that interviewed you or send a follow up letter or email 7-10 days after the interview if you have not heard from them. This will remind them of you and might help bring your information to the top of the pile.
The letter should make reference to the interview, restate your interest in the position and show (again) how you are the perfect candidate.
The employer will assume that anybody that takes the time (and dares) to follow up shows a lot of enthusiasm and is really interested in the job. This alone might tip the scale in your favor.
By Barbara E. Sotolongo – www.PurposeDrivenResumes.com
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