Find A Job
Are you looking to transition into a new career? Perhaps you’re a new graduate just entering the job market. Or maybe you’re unemployed and looking for a job; any job. Whatever the particulars of your situation, the following tips can help you.
Check your resume for mistakes
Before handing over your resume to prospective employers, look it over at least three times to ensure no corrections are needed. After considering the position you are trying to secure, you should tailor your resume to meet the needs of the company. For instance, if you are trying to get an accounting position, then your accounting experience should be highlighted on your resume. Remember that grammar mistakes, spelling errors and typos should all be fixe and that your resume should be no longer than one and a half pages.
Tackling the interview challenge
A study by a California staffing and consulting firm found that 1,400 CFOs were for the most part in agreement about the top mistakes made by interviewees. Among these were showing up late, knowing little about the company or the position for which they were applying and arrogance during the interview. In an interview, body language is very important - applicants must show confidence (but not be overbearing), maintain eye contact, have a firm handshake and avoid crossing the arms (which looks like a defensive posture). Clothes are also important; it is far better to be overdressed than underdressed for an interview.
Answer questions smartly
Being tense and forgetting the questions which have been asked is a common problem. To prepare, thoroughly research both the company and the position applied for. If you don’t know the answer to a question during the interview, admit that you do not; add that you can get back to the interviewer with an answer later. Remember to play up the strengths and skills that the company is looking for.
Getting the necessary referrals
A referral from a current employee is one of the best ways to ensure that you are asked in for an interview. Companies receive hundreds of resumes when they advertise a position; but as many as 60% of these vacancies are filled through referrals by employees. If you don’t know anyone who works at the company ask around - someone you know may. If you are referred by a current employee, it greatly increases your odds of being hired.
Online application
More and more companies are now asking job seekers to submit resumes electronically. You now have to make a good first impression with an email rather than with your personal appearance. This makes your email very important; treat this email as you would any important piece of business correspondence. When you are asked to apply online, remember these tips:
Complete your sentences and do not use abbreviations.
Employers will likely pass over resumes from those who send overly casual cover letters. Even though this is via email, keep things professional to create a good impression.
Get directly to the point
Be straightforward and get to the point. Don’t add literary flourishes to get the employer’s attention; instead just say exactly what you want.
It can take some time and some work to land that job you really want; but don’t give up. It’s far better to have to wait a while and get that job you’ve always wanted than to take the first one which comes along and be miserable and unfulfilled as a result. Make the right career decision and then act.
