Finding work that you love, that also meets your financial needs, doesn’t happen by accident. It requires a well-thought plan of action and an intense level of commitment. Most job seekers are not mentally, emotionally, or financially prepared for the hard realities of the current job market.
A dismal economy punctuated by the worse job loss in years has resulted in a volatile, intensely competitive job market. Published job ads can easily generate hundreds of resumes from desperate job seekers.
Overwhelmed employers and recruiters sift through mountains of resumes trying to quickly eliminate candidates. The average resume getting just a 15 – 30 second review unless the candidate is able to capture the employer’s attention. So what can you do to get noticed by potential employers and shorten the duration of your job search?
An ultra competitive job market requires a winning strategy, thorough preparation, compelling marketing documents and an intensified effort. Let’s examine a five-point plan of action that can ignite your job search and give you an edge over your competition.
Step One: An Honest Self-Assessment
An honest self-assessment is the first step to finding work for which you are well-suited and that you will truly enjoy. Ask yourself:
Consider your skills and experience from the viewpoint of a potential employer. Identify opportunities for improvement and find ways to overcome problematic voids. Take a class at your local community college to learn a new software application. Volunteer to gain additional skills and experience. Continue Reading »
Times are definitely tough economically and many of us have either lost our jobs or are in danger of losing them. Looking for new jobs can be a challenge. Local newspapers seem to have smaller and smaller help wanted sections and rarely carry listings for opportunities that are beyond your local area. The solution could be job search engines.
What are Job Search Engines/Websites?
Job search websites are massive databases of available job listings which can be searched through by job seekers like you. The jobs can be searched in a wide variety of ways, including by location, job title, company name, experience required, field or industry, and more. You can even combine criteria to help you pin down your search more specifically.
These online search engines are even better because they are usually free to use. Many also provide additional services, such as job advice and resume posting for no additional charge.
The Pros and Cons of Job Search Engines
Job search engines have plenty of advantages. For example, you can search through new listings 24/7. You don’t have to wait for the morning paper to scour the ads. Plus, employers can post new jobs 24/7 so you’re more likely to see fresh opportunities daily instead of in local papers.
Another benefit is the searching capabilities. You don’t have to browse through all of the listings to find the ones that are best suited for you. Plus, most job search engines allow you to customize your search requirements and have daily or weekly job updates sent directly to your email so you’ll always know when an interesting position becomes available. You can also act faster. Continue Reading »
You’ve probably figured it out by now that not everyone can be successful in life. In the world we live in there are winners and there are losers. Most people want to be in the group of winners, but, unfortunately many remain where they stand. As you well know, being successful means to stand above the others around you or to know more that the one sitting next to you does.
In order to succeed, you need to understand how to achieve it and always keep working towards your goals. Each step you make along the way is one step closer to achieving your goal (one step at a time). The hair on the back of my neck stands up whenever someone talks about a successful person as if they didn’t do anything deserve their success. Quite the contrary, truly successful people work their entire lives to be where they are right now (never forget that).
Success is sweet, but it doesn’t come free or cheap, you have to pay for it. The price is not monetary, but it is expressed in manners of time and effort, these being precious details that can’t be refunded once you gave them away.
Success is hard. Generally speaking to be successful you have to work hard, be educated and have a little bit of luck. Often you have to try many times until you truly reach success.
To not be successful is simple: you make all the wrong choices, you work without ethics, the lack of responsibility and of education is almost everything. Although, it is not obvious, the lack of success is also a choice, but a choice that can be gained on the first try. Continue Reading »
Monster.co.uk and Skillstudio.co.uk show you how to conduct the perfect interview. Be better prepared for your next job interview, from what to wear, to how to shake the interviewers hand.
Is your job search producing lackluster results at best? Don’t settle for a job search that just creeps along! Instead, consider taking a more aggressive approach to take fuller advantage of high performing tactics. You need to know that an aggressive job search techniques are unconventional, often radical, and always strategic. And they work! They outperform traditional job search strategiesin 7 key ways:
1. Make your aggressive tactics proactive: If you have been in the job market very long this is the way it’s typically done. Traditionally, you submit your resume and cover letter, then passively sit back and wait for a call. Hopefully, to an interview. However, in an aggressive job search, you set the pace for your campaign through weekly networking calls or emails. These should include weekly follow-up contacts with hiring managers that you have sent your email and cover letter to. These will include both posted or anticipated job openings. By making 10 to 15 calls weekly, you will be able to increase the pace of your results, and affect your search exponentially.
2. Target your aggressive job search tactics: If you spend all your time only seeking online job postings, then you’re missing out on all kinds of highly targeted job leads. Instead focus on specific industries, employers, geographic regions, and position types to help you increase the number of interviews and job offers you receive. Don’t make the mistake of applying for everything you see. Doing so may make you feel productive, but this type of shot-gun approach to job searching ultimately fails to help you secure the position you really want. For several years I was in sales and the companies I worked for pushed cold calling. I don’t know about you, but I hate cold calling because it’s largely unproductive. So I focused in applying the above techniques to sale, and they worked. I was always way ahead of my peers who spent their time cold calling. Continue Reading »
How do you find the right employees for your company? How do you avoid the pitfalls that occur when you hire the wrong guy or gal? Well, let’s face it: some things can’t be prevented. No matter how good a potential candidate may look on paper, and even if they make a great impression in their interview(s), you can’t guarantee how they will function as an employee of your company.Some businesses employ the use of a personality test, competence test, or other such tests. These are a great way to get an extra gauge on how a prospective employee may do things once hired.
When it comes to actual competence testing, however, it is best to not only view their previous experience but also give them an on-the-job test. Let’s suppose that you are going to hire a cook. Make arrangements with the job candidate for him or her to come in and cook a sample meal as part of the process of executing a second or third interview. This may seem a little strange, but it will help you ensure you find the right person for the job. When it comes to personality, you can ask the person certain questions and give them certain hypothetical scenarios in order to get a feel for how they might react in these situations should they be faced with them while working for you.
Think of issues that you have encountered with prior problem employees. For example, if a prior employee talked too much on the job and wasn’t as productive as you’d have liked, ask during an interview what the prospective employee’s outlook is on talking and doing personal things while on the job. This will not only get the subject on the table, it will also let them know right off the bat that you aren’t going to stand for any “tomfoolery” at your workplace. Continue Reading »
The majority of the jobs on the market these days are the dependable, yet monotonous day in and day out desk jobs. However, for those audacious and venturesome types, there are careers out there that are everything except monotonous, but still just as dependable as well as lucrative. Examples of these intriguing and adventurous professions include military work, Alaskan fishing, guiding hunters, as well as a career as an Arborist.
A military career is not only exciting and constantly varied work, it is also an exceptionally rewarding career with countless benefits for those in service as well as their families. From the land-based Army, to the sea-based Navy and air-based Air Force, a career in the military is sure to offer one exhilarating experiences day in and day out as they are required to be clued in, alert, and always ready to think on their toes. The U.S. Army and the Army Reserve are the foundation of the United States’ military land operations, however, a more technically minded individual would presumably be more attracted to a career in the US Navy or the US Air Force, both notorious for their forward thinking technological equipment and machinery. Continue Reading »
Finding work that you love, that also meets your financial needs, doesn’t happen by accident. It requires a well-thought plan of action and an intense level of commitment. Most job seekers are not mentally, emotionally, or financially prepared for the hard realities of the current job market. 
