|
Tom Smith |
Published 2005 |
http://www.workingnews.com |
Unrated
Job Tips For The Frustrated Job Seeker
There is nothing more frustrating and
depressing when you are out of work and
trying to find a job and your job search
is going no where. Don't feel bad, you
are not alone and there is a good reason
why searching for a new
job can be so difficult.
There is no doubt the job market has
changed. 30 years ago when I applied for
my first job I remember answering an ad
in the paper, calling and speaking to a
real person, going in for the interview,
filling out a application, had the
interview and was offered the $3.75 and
hour shipping job. Things are not that
simple today. Back then there was no
voice mail, no email, you mailed in a
typed resume, who had a fax at home? You
called and talked to a real person. You
may of filled out a application but not
the dozen forms you need to today. And
you never had to prove you were legally
allowed to work in the United States.
Today if you are looking for a job how
to you stand out in the impersonal
hiring environment that exists in most
companies. If you apply online you are
competing against dozens if not hundreds
of others. Competition is stiff for a
most jobs and a human may never even see
your resume. Are there steps you can
follow that will improve your chances?
After being unemployed for several
months after 3 years of self employment
and becoming more depressed and
frustrated in not finding a job, I took
my job search to a new level which
finally paid off in a new job.
I had been self employed for 3 years but
after a divorce and starting life over,
my self employment was no longer
working. I had to bite the bullet and
start looking for a job. The first
mistake I realized was my resume was not
working. I had updated it to reflect my
self employment which was not related to
my previous career. I was trying to find
a position similar to my previous career
in the graphics and computer support
industry. By starting my work history
with my self employment it made it look
like I had been out of the industry even
longer and my skills even more outdated.
I was just shooting myself in the foot.
I changed my self employment to reflect
my computer skills so while I had been
out of the industry for awhile I wasn't
out of touch. Some employers have doubts
about people who have been self
employed. They think they are going to
go back to their own business or worse
they only want a job so they can use
company resources for their own gain. In
my case I was able to explain that I had
an opportunity to work at home and spend
time with my preschool son, it had been
for family reasons. Most employers
respect that.
To begin with you really need to take a
hard look at your resume. If you have
always worked in one area and are
applying for a position similar to those
you have had in the past then your
resume may just need some updating and
polish. There are a number of good books
and websites on resume writing. If you
really need help then a resume service
may be money well spent.
How many resumes do you have? There is
no reason you can't have several. I was
applying for a variety of unrelated
positions. I would of looked "over
qualified" or my experience would of
been too unrelated for the position if I
stuck with just one standard resume. I
created a "general" resume that listed a
variety of skills that could fit any
number of non specific jobs. You can
have one that is very specific for the
industry you are applying for and there
is no reason you can't change it to a
specific company especially if it will
be scanned in and checked for "keywords"
Some companies scan for keywords or
buzzwords related to the position, their
company or industry. Even if you are the
most qualified person for that position,
if your resume doesn't have those
keywords, it will never get seen.
In addition to having a few different
resumes you should have it in several
different formats also. If you need to
mail it in then a nice easy to read
printed resume is in order. Same if you
will be faxing it in. If you email your
resume then your cover letter will be
the body of your email and your resume
will be attached. Most employers request
it be in a word .doc format or text but
you can also use a pdf format. If you
have your own website why not post it
online with a link in your email. That
way if your attachment can't be read
they can print it off the internet. For
example the link could be http://www.yourwebsite.com/yourresume.html.
You should also have a unformatted text
only resume for uploading to online job
sites.
Be sure to include several ways to
contact you. Home phone, cell phone,
email. I had the unfortunate luck of
having my cell phone and my home phone
cut off for non payment within a few
days of each other. As luck would have
it someone I sent a resume to tried to
contact me and couldn't get through.
They did send me a email saying they
couldn't reach me. I was able to call
them and get a interview. Don't leave
anything to chance. And if they leave
you a message get back to them ASAP
while your resume is still on their
desk. When you get a interview, be on
time, be prepared, do your research
about the company you are interviewing
with. You can usually find most
everything you need off their company
website. Come prepared with extra
resumes, helpful if you have to fill out
a application. Also have copies of your
updated references. It is best to have
more than 3. Some companies want
professional references including past
employers, others want personal
references of persons not related to
you. Be prepared for both.
Where to find a job? Dig! And keep
digging! You may never know where one
will show up. In some ways the internet
has made job searches easier with a
variety of job sites to search. You
should probably set up accounts at the
large sites like hotjobs and monster
which will allow you to post your resume
and apply directly to postings Also take
a look at sites like indeed.com. They
are a search engine of sorts for jobs.
They search several jobs sites at once.
Saves time from going to each site. Post
your resume so employers can find you.
ASK! Don't be afraid to let everyone you
know that you are looking for a job.
Drop a email to anyone who might know
someone who might have a job opening.
You might be surprised how many people
really do want to help you. Network your
pants off! If you don't ask no one can
help you. Search everyday. Try and send
out at least one resume a day if not
more. Pick up the early edition of the
Sunday paper. Send out 5-10 at a time.
And keep sending them even after you
have interviews set up. You can easily
fall behind two or three weeks if you
stop sending resumes in hopes of that
job offer coming through. Nothing better
than telling someone, "I'm sorry I
accepted another position" Apply for
every job you are remotely interested in
even if you don't think you are
qualified. Every job listed always has a
laundry list of qualifications and
requirements. In a perfect world they
would find the perfect person that would
match every requirement. But employers
know that person doesn't exist and they
are looking for someone who closely
matches and they feel will be a good
fit. At the worst you will never hear
from them. At the best they will offer
you a job or maybe something different
within their company. You can always
turn it down. Even if it turns out to be
something you really don't want to do,
it might help you get by for awhile
until a better position comes along.
Never be afraid to apply to any job!
Most of all don't give up hope, the
right job will happen at the right time.
Remember to take care of yourself. Go
for a walk, get plenty of rest, do
something you enjoy just for yourself.
As long as you keep moving in a forward
direction, if someone asks you what you
have been doing to find a job you can
proudly say "this is what I have been
doing" Persistence will pay off.
Good luck.
About the author:
Tom Smith runs
http://www.workingnews.coma
job, career, employment and resume site.
Free career articles along with links to
employment sites. Permission to reprint
with credits attached. He can be reached
at tjsmith@workingnews.com copyright
2005
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