FINDING THE RIGHT JOB

In this time of global crisis, finding the right job is one of the most important concerns to a lot of people for financial support. We can hear it in the news that the unemployment rate is going up in any state in our country. The competition in looking for a work is also very stiff considering that applicants may come from various groups of job seekers. There’s the population of people who lost their work; some are those who recently graduated from school while others are those who are still working but are looking for better opportunities.

Whichever you belong from those groups of job seekers, there are still common guidelines to follow when looking for the right work. Here’s how. . .

WHERE TO START?

When finding a job, you may consider using the following search tools:

Newspaper – You may try reading the Los Angeles Times, Asian Journal, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and a lot more for their jobs advertisement. You may also visit the website of onlinenewspaper.com for a list of newspapers.

Internet Search – There are a lot job search posted in the internet. But here are some websites that you could check such as hotjobs.yahoo.com; monster.com; job.com; and careerbuilder.com. There are also companies that cater to specific professions. So try searching through googles.com for more information. If you are applying for a Management or Senior Executive positions, you may also visit website of theladder.com for any available positions. Be careful when you give out your information online. Check first if the company is reliable or not. You may also visit the company website and apply directly.

Job Fairs – Each states sponsor their own job fair. But I’ve checked out www.nationalcareerfairs.com and discovered that they have a calendar list of job fairs in 300 states. So try reviewing it!

Direct Approach – You can simply approach your prospective employers by phone or in person. More conveniently, you can also check their company websites for any job openings.

Word of Mouth – You can tell your family and friends that you are actively looking for a job. Share to them an overview of your work experience (if any), your line of interest and skills. Ask them if they know any companies that might be looking for somebody like you. There is a possibility that they might be able to refer you to a prospective employer. Who knows? There’s no harm in asking.

Employment Agencies or Search Firms –You may verify some of these agencies such as Apple One Employment Services, Act 1 Personnel, Manpower Services, and Select Staffing for their job openings. You may also check out the yellowpages.com for their office address and other list of agencies in your local area.

PREPARING A RESUME

1. Resume Design –

Indicate in your resume your Career Objective or what you really want to achieve. Write down also a Summary of your Skills and Experience that will show your line of expertise. Enumerate your Employment History from your different companies in a chronological order. If you are applying for a position that requires a Bachelor’s or Masteral Degree, you also have to include it. Any Character Reference is optional and can be submitted if the prospective employer asks for it.

2. Do’s in Making a Resume

Any employment resume may reflect the personality of the applicant. There are some DO’s that we could follow in preparing one. First, make sure that your resume is simple and concise. You don’t want your prospective employer to have a headache in understanding your message. Secondly, do check your spelling, grammar and punctuation used especially if you are applying for an office work. Employers might get irritated in reading it and can be easily ignored. If you are submitting a hardcopy of your resume, make sure that it looks clean and should be printed in a short bond paper using a black ink for a business looking type of work. Lastly, always update your resume specifically with your experience and contact details. You might miss to get any possible schedule of interviews if you submitted an old phone number or address.

3. Don’ts in Making a Resume

If there are do’s in preparing a resume, there are also some DON’TS that we should know to avoid the common mistakes that applicants’ commit. First, do not include irrelevant information such religion, height, weight, gender, or parent’s name. Employers may not quite interested but rather, they will tell you if they need this data. Secondly, do not mention any salary desired. It’s too early to ask. Lastly, do not lie about your educational attainment, experience or skills. Employers do conduct a background investigation and it is more embarrassing if they find out that the things written in your resume are not true. If you will be accepted for a skill that you really don’t know, you might end up being terminated because of wrong information that you submitted to them. So beware!

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

1. Plan Ahead

Planning is very important when applying for a work. First, be sure to know something about the company and the position that you are applying for. Prospective employers would be happy to learn that you have done an extra mile to know something about their company. This will show your interest and determination as an applicant. Secondly, review your resume such as your work experiences and how you can be an asset to them. You would feel more comfortable in coming for an interview if you are prepared to answer possible questions of the interviewer. This will show your level of confidence when applying for work.

2. Role Play – It would be ideal to rehearse your answers to possible interview questions such as “Why should we hire you? What can you do for us that other applicants can’t? Why do you want to work for us?” Why do you think should we give you this job considering that you still lack relevant experience? You may be able to see yourself such as your facial expressions and hand gestures when answering a question during the interview. You may be able to see some of your mannerism and try to avoid it. As the saying goes, “practice makes it perfect.”

3. Prepare questions to ask your prospective employer such as “Why is this position open? What is the main area of responsibility for this position? What do you expect to be accomplished in this job?” Your prospective employers would be happy to listen to your questions. This will show them that you really have that interest in applying for the position.

4. Dress properly for the interview – What you wear and how you wear are important factors that interviewers look for an applicant. Do come in business attire depending on the position that you are applying for in a company. But the common business casual to wear for women are those with sleeves and collared blouse or dress. For men, a polo shirt and dark pants would do. A denim jean is only acceptable if you are applying for a service crew at a fastfood restaurant and not for an office work.

Whatever positions you are applying for, these guidelines are the common factors that employers look for an applicant. Don’t stop! Go get yourself ready and find the right job for you.

If you happen to watch the movie Kung Fu Panda, it was mentioned there that “There are really no secret ingredients in making the noodles. You only have to believe.” But now I relay this to all job seekers that there are really no secret ingredients in finding the job. You only have to believe, be prepared, and trust God to do the rest.

Happy job hunting!

Author’s Note: The article written reflects only the opinion and recommendation of the author. It is not engaged in any promotional strategy of the companies and websites mentioned above. Readers are advice to check the validity of these entities. Thank you.