Finding a Job

Finding a Job Within an Uncertain Economy

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If you’re looking for a job in today’s uncertain economy, you definitely have your work cut out for you. It’s hard to stay positive at times when there are so many newspapers, magazines and even television shows that are telling you that it’s going to be impossible to find a job when the market conditions are bad. That’s simply not what you need to listen to. The reality of the matter is that you will have some difficulty getting a job, but if you follow a plan you should see better results.

Is it guaranteed? Well, nothing is guaranteed in an uncertain economy, but there are some solid ways of really making sure that you’re doing everything in your power to get a job that fits your needs.

First and foremost, you will need to make sure that you are looking at your resume critically. Could it be your resume isn’t s strong as the other resumes that end in the interviewer’s stack? You might need to make sure that you change your formula to fit the needs of the job you’re applying to. A lot of job applicants get stuck in doing whatever their career center tells them to. For some people, it might make sense to have a professional resume writer look over your resume. You could get a lot farther than if you were to just keep using the same outdated formulas on your own.

For example, if you don’t have a lot of work experience but you have solid skills, you might want to do a functional resume. On the other hand, if you have a long term career already, you might want to really use the structure of a chronological resume to your advantage. It’s really all about looking at your career as it is, not the way you wish it would be.

By the same token, no job hunter exists in an island. When you’re trying to find jobs in an uncertain economy, you will want to make sure that you actually network. Ask about positions. However, you will also want to make sure that you share what you know, and help out where you can. For example, you can always offer to look over a friend’s resume, or even take a friend out to lunch. While it might sound expensive, you never know if that friend has a job lead, or more information about a resource that can help you get a good job.

If you don’t have an income, you might be able to get help from your workforce center, including some assistance. You should make sure that you’re still monitoring your life obligations in all of everything, so that you don’t slide further behind.

At the end of the day, you will need to make sure that you look at your job hunt from every angle. If you’re tying to focus more on applying for jobs online, then you will need to make sure that you are truly double checking everything. Interviewers will download hundreds of resumes online, and software will filter out resumes that just don’t meet what the organization is looking for. So in order to stay competitive, you will need to stay focused, determined, and confident that eventually, you will find the job that you’ve always wanted! Why not get started today?

resume

How to Build a Resume You’re Actually Proud to Show Off

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A resume. A resume. A resume. Say it three times fast, and it’s highly likely that you’re going to become dizzy. This is because a lot of people feel that a resume has to be something awful, it has to be something that takes up a lot of time and causes a lot of stress. It doesn’t have to be this way, but unfortunately that’s what we’ve been telling ourselves for a long time. Resumes take effort and hard work, right?

To an extent. It’s something that you will want to make sure that you are paying attention to, but it’s not like you have to always have the most perfect resume right on the first try. Give yourself a chance to seek out new resources to help you make a better resume over time. I bet that if you had one of your old resumes, you could immediately point out things that you wish you had done better. Instead of feeling bad, you might want to look into a few things on building a resume that you’re actually proud to show off.

We definitely have you covered — below are some points to consider when you’re really trying to build a great resume.

Think About the Format!

The best format around is a functional resume if you don’t have a lot of work experience. If you are returning to the workforce after a long absence, this is better than trying to immediately explain what those gaps are.

The resume is the door into the interview, so you will want to make sure that you save an issue like gaps in your resume for when you can explain it in detail, rather than something that your interviewer can reject before they’ve even gotten to know you as a person.

Think About the Design!

Design doesn’t mean a resume that’s yellow, or glow in the dark. It means making sure that your resume is clear and easy to understand. your interviewer will be looking at hundreds of resumes at a time — you will need to make sure that you don’t stand out to the point that the interviewer realizes that you’re not really serious as everyone else. If the interviewer can’t process your resume, they will trash it and move on to someone else.

Think About The Audience!

If you take nothing else from this guide, you might want to stop and really think about the points that you want to present to the audience in question. The purpose of a resume is to get noticed, and looked at enough for an interview. It’s a piece that’s supposed to be neutral, but at the same time it’s what interviewers will look at in order to determine that you really, really, really fit the culture of their company.

When you set up your resume, you don’t want it to be lengthy. If you want to stand out, you’ll have to be short and to the point. Don’t rely on standard business language all the time — it’s okay to let an interviewer know that you “rocked” a project, especially if you’re in the creative industry. Interviewers want to see passion. They want to see that you’ll fit in and you will fit in well. This is where researching the company that you really want to work with is a great idea; because it’ll help you work on the “tone” of your resume.

Online Job Search

3 Steps to Building the Perfect Online Job Search

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When you’re trying to get a job these days, you would be downright foolish to not pursue the Internet. It’s truly the best place to go when you really need to make sure that you will give yourself the best chances of getting a job. In the past, it was all about pounding the pavement — that is, going out in the physical world and putting in applications everywhere. Nowadays everyone has a website where you can apply.

Does this meant hat you can just run around the Internet making yourself stressed with all of the applications that you want to put in? Well, you can do anything, really. However, this is not the approach that will give you the results that you want.

You will need to make sure that you actually build yourself a purposeful plan to getting the perfect online job search underway. As always, even if you’re not sure how to begin we definitely have a system that you can take and modify to suit your own purposes.

First and foremost, you will want to narrow down the jobs that you know that you will not want to apply. When it feels like any job will do, you will want to stop and really look at the big picture. Ideally, you don’t want to do this job search business too many times. You will want to make sure that you can find a job that you moderately like and stick with it until a higher / better position opens up, either elsewhere in the company or at another company entirely.

This is an important point that you will want to make, because it can be tempting to just take anything that seems appealing. However, this will only make you frustrated in the long run. When you feel desperate, you look desperate and if you are called into an interview, this desperation will show. You will not perform your best when you’re putting that type of energy out there.

From here, you will need to take some time to actually research the companies that seem most interesting to you. If you have a phone, this is an even easier step because you can call someone there and ask a few questions about the job and even sometimes get someone’s experiences working for the company. When you go to actually put in your cover letter and resume, it will be obvious that you actually took the time to look into what the company does. This means that you’re searching for a career and not just a job.

Finally, you will want to make sure that you spend some time really thinking about the resume that you want to build. Keep in mind that every job will need its own cover letter, but this won’t actually be a big deal. You will just need to make sure that you get the ball rolling as soon as you can. If you’re not sure how to build the perfect resume, there is a guide on this site that will help you. Otherwise there are plenty of books on the topic, and plenty more sites that cover the topic in great detail.

Overall, building a smart plan to maximize your online job search will really help you get things done. Why not make sure that you can get started today?

Job Interview

3 Mistakes You’re Making When It’s Time to Go On a Job Interview

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If you’re looking for a job, then you will need to make sure that you’re building yourself the proper system to actually get a job. A lot job seekers really don’t think this way, and it ends up doing them a disservice in a big way. For starters, it’s easier to make sure that you will have things taken care of when you know that you’ve looked at everything from every angle, especially when it comes to a job interview. The first thing that you should do, however, is take a look at the way you’re currently doing things. After all, if you are already doing something that is working well for you, you will want to incorporate those details into the new system. On the other hand, if you’re making mistakes, then you will need to make sure that you’re identifying them and acting accordingly.

Not sure what mistakes you’re making? Well, we’re definitely glad that you asked us!

1. Not Making Eye Contact

When you first sit down with the job interviewer, chances are pretty good that you’re probably a little intimidated. Everyone gets a little nervous when they sit across from someone that has to decide on their future, but that doesn’t mean that you can shy away! You will want to make sure that you make contact as much as possible. There’s no reason to think that you’re less than the interviewer, or that you don’t have that it takes to really rock the interview. If you look away and not even attempt to make eye contact when you speak, the interviewer will think that you’re hiding something, or that you’re lying. There’s no need to shock them like that, so don’t go there!

2. Not Being Confident About Experience

You’ve worked hard all this time — why be afraid to really talk about your experiences? This is a question that a lot of people need to ask themselves when they think about a job interview. Yes, your experience will be checked. However, interviewers can usually tell right off the bat when you’re seriously as experienced as you think you are. Why? You can talk about it at length, including any victories that you’ve had on the job. Just because a victory is small doesn’t mean that it’s not a victory!

3. Showing Up Late, and Other Big Things

Showing up late is one of the worst things that you can do on a job interview. It tells the job interviewer that you really don’t want this job. You don’t want to work hard. You don’t want to be dependable. Now, this might seem harsh, because we all have set out with good intentions and found that there’s just no way that we could be somewhere at a certain time. Yet this is something that you will need to make sure that you get over very quickly, because you will need to think past what’s “fair” and what will actually get you the job.

If the resume is the key to the interview, then the interview is the key to the job. In fact, it’s a compressed “moment” in the life of your soon to be job, if you really want it. That’s the way you have to think about it. You have to really make the best first impression that you can.

Now, if you’ve taken the time to correct all three things here and you’re still having trouble, that’s when you will want to keep reaching for solutions rather than giving up. The right job could be just around the corner!

Cover Letter

Don’t Overlook the Power of the Cover Letter In Your Job Search

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Are you using a cover letter when you submit your resume? Whether you submit your resume online or offline, the truth is that if you aren’t using a cover letter, you will need to definitely start doing that. A cover letter isn’t something that’s optional anymore. If you wanted to think of the cover letter in terms of a sales process, then the cover letter is what sells the interviewer on actually looking at your resume. There are so many resumes being submitted at one time that it can be hard for interviewers to try to figure out what resume to look at. So they create rules to shake off resumes that aren’t following those rules, leaving behind the resumes that adhered to their standard. Do they always tell you that they’re filtering? No, definitely not. However, you will need to make sure that you are building the best cover letter possible.

First and foremost, if you’re trying to really score points with the right people, then you will want to make sure that you tie everything to the organization, rather than just yourself. What does this mean? Well, in a nutshell you will need to make sure that you’re explaining why you’re an asset to their organization. Simply bragging about your experiences is something that everyone does. Remember that working for a company means that you will need to demonstrate value on every level. If you can’t do that, then you shouldn’t apply for the position. On the other hand, you will need to think about the type of experience you need for the position as it relates to the experience that you already have.

If you’re worried that you don’t have enough leadership experience, don’t worry. You can usually look through your experiences at work to find a time where you had to lead a project, or heavily assist with a project. These are both examples of leadership, so you shouldn’t feel like they aren’t.

Some positions will ask where you heard about the opportunity. This is a great way to give credit to the person that you networked with in order to hear about the position. If it’s a mutual contact, then you should definitely mention it. On the other hand, if it’s just one of those “I heard that so and so is hiring…” type things, you might want to leave this part out.

If you take nothing else from this guide, you will need to make sure that you really, really think about getting your cover letter looked at by someone. Even if it’s just a family member, this helps you really think about your cover letter from another perspective. Accept constructive criticism with gratitude, and use it to improve your cover letter.

It might sound strange to focus so much on a cover letter, but it’s really important that you do.

One final point: you will need to make sure that you create a cover letter for each position that you’re ultimately interested in. There’s no reason not to take this step, especially when it’s so easy to make a cover letter. They are under a page long, very short and to the point. This means that it shouldn’t be a challenge to crank out a few to get things moving in the right direction!

Career Coach

Should You Hire a Career Coach?

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Are you looking for a job? Is that job within the professional services industry at a mid-range to executive level? Then chances are good that you might want to hire a career coach. Although the recession has ushered in a new crop of career coaches that may or may not be effective, the basic principles behind a career coach are actually very sound. You will need to stop and think about a wide variety of issues around the subject, but there are a few general points that can be agreed upon.

First and foremost, career coaches use their own personal experience as well as specific training to make sure that you increase your chances of getting your foot in the door of a company. This could be anything from rewriting your resume, to walking you through an effective interview. You’re going to pay a premium for a great career coach, but if you haven’t been in the job search hunt in several years (even a decade or two), and then their value could be more than what you expected.

You see, when you haven’t had to look for a job in a while, you won’t have any idea about the job market. Compare this to a career coach that lives and breathes this subject for a living.

Does that mean that all career coaches are equal? Definitely not. You will want to look for a career coach with not only experience, but good references. Look and see what results they’ve produced for their clients. Be a bit suspicious about a career coach that guarantees you’ll get a job, or even a certain salary. There are no guarantees in the job search game, and a career coach that’s willing to fill your head with incorrect information isn’t one that’s going to have your best interests in mind.

By the same token, a career coach is suspect if they don’t have references, or they refuse to give them to you. The average job search is roughly 25 weeks, which means that you need all of the help you can get, as fast as you can get it. You might find that career coaching helps get you in the right frame of mind to actually look for work. Many people tend up sliding into a depression when they get fired or laid off from work, and this can make it difficult to actually get things done.

You will also want to make sure that you sit down with the career coach that you ultimately want to hire and make sure that they will work with you. Some career coaches only work with executive level clients, so if you’re not in that category you will want to find another coach immediately. There’s no reason to lie about where you are in your career. Even though coaching is more or less targeted at mid-range and executive level professionals, there are career coaches that now work with people entering the entry level part of their careers, or trying to transition into middle management.

Constructive criticism is also the name of the game. You aren’t hiring a coach to tell you about how wonderful you are — you’re hiring a career coach to be able to support you through just about anything and everything that you can think of with respect to your career. To do anything less wouldn’t be to have your best interests in mind. Don’t be shy about talking about your goals, but don’t be shy to take good advice either. If you could do it all yourself, you wouldn’t have hired the career coach in the first place.

Overall, should you really hire a career coach? If you have some savings lined up and can hire a career coach without breaking your budget, then it’s definitely a good idea. If it’s going to be a struggle to get a career coach in your corner, you might want to look into free information online until you can get a coach to help you out.

Are you in the right career?

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On average we work about 45 hours a week, that’s 45 hours a week, around 52 weeks a year for at least 40 years.

Our entire childhood and educational career builds us up to one massive aim: Getting a good job.

However, what if you have found a job that looks great on paper which has a decent salary, suitable hours and doesn’t tax you too much?

Surely you should be happy right?

Well, considering we spend most of our lives working, you should make sure your chosen career is something you like.

You owe it to yourself to care about the job you do.

Job checklist

Do you wake up in the morning feeling apprehensive about your job on a regular basis?

Does your apprehension about work impact on your weekend? Do you have Sunday night anxiety?

Do you feel apathetic about the job you are doing and the overall working of your company?

Is your job just the means to an end?

If you answer yes to any of these questions then you are in need of a new job!

How do I change this?

Did you know that working for your local authority can be very rewarding? There are so many types of jobs on offer at your local authority.
For example, you can be a:

Teacher

Classroom assistant

Youth worker

Social work professional

Environmental health/services worker

Democratic Services Officer

Also, many local authorities need town planners, marketing officers, finance professionals, policy advisers, and strategic directors.

Why work for a local authority?

By getting a job in your local authority, you will play a direct part in improving your local area, no matter what it is you do.

You’ll be surprised at the variety of roles on offer.

For the best local authority jobs in the south and excellent East Sussex council jobs, go to http://www.southeastjobs.org.uk.

They specialise in public sector jobs in places such as East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey.

What are you waiting for? Change your life and career today!

Working in the media

Media Jobs – Too Many Choices?

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Working in the media can be one of the more exciting, fascinating and rewarding jobs you will ever do, however, it can also be one of the most difficult to break in to. There is always going to be a vast amount of competition for positions but do not let this deter you if you feel that you have something to bring to this field or that this is the career path for you. There are many different branches under the media jobs umbrella and finding the perfect one for you may take a little time. Here are some ideas of the kind of fields available for those wanting to work in the media sector.

Advertising: This is probably one of the most important positions in media that you can be involved with. You will be responsible for ensuring that books, music, magazines, television shows, films and many more items make it out there. An advert can make or break a product and whether it is copywriting, designing or planning every aspect of this career field is incredibly important towards ensuring that other peoples finished products sell successfully. The hours are long in this type of career, particularly as you progress through your career path, and you are going to find that certain times of year are going to be far busier than others, ie Christmas, but that is something that an agency would be prepared for and would know how to prepare for effectively. Your work is not always your own in this kind of field and it is not unusual to prepare something you believe to be amazing and have it torn to shred by the client who thinks that they know best!

Journalism: This is a role that can provide immense job satisfaction and if you have an eye for detail, fantastic research skills and you are a naturally inquisitive person then this could well be the field for you. The quality of the article is the most important feature in journalism as you generally only get one attempt to get your point across and you must be able to work to very strict deadlines as printing schedules loom regularly and must not be exceeded. You must be able to take constructive criticism well here and be prepared, at short notice, to change the main working of any piece of writing that you do to give it a different edge. If you are not wanting to be tied down to a newspaper, magazine or particular writing skill then this is where being a freelance writer can be hugely rewarding. This will give you the option to write about almost anything and everything and can allow you to work for several places that you want to at the same time while ensuring that everyone is happy with the work that you are doing for them.

Publishing: If you are a fan of the written word, have a keen eye for detail and fantastic English skills then this could be the path for you. Whether you want to proofread, edit or even help build hype for upcoming book launches there should be something for you. A fantastic way to start in this field is either editing or proof reading as both give you the opportunity to get a real feel for the grass roots of the position and see how everything comes together. This will allow you to keep your finger on the pulse while working hard in house to prove yourself and go for those higher positions. If you are a fan of reading then obviously this is going to have a huge influence over how much you love this position and this is something that you should think about before applying for a publishing house position.

Presenting: Whether you want to work in front of the camera on television or be a voice on the radio this is a fantastic career field, particularly if you are willing to work hard and you are interested in fame and fortune. In this career field you are going to have to have incredibly confidence, present yourself well and usually be willing to work early or late in to the day, particularly when first starting out. Castings are a fantastic way to get your foot in the door and ensure that this is something about you that makes you stand out from the crowd. Whether this is a bright outfit, a wild hairstyle or just a fantastic personality making sure that you can be spotted in the crowd could be the key to your success.

Television: This is a career field that has a huge, vast wealth of job opportunities on a regular basis, however, there are frequently low level jobs here rather than higher ranked opportunities. Being a runner is a fantastic way to get your foot in the door here, this will allow you to learn about the inner workings of the television product field while still earning enough money to hopefully cover your expenses and have a little more for yourself. In this field you are probably going to have to travel to work quite long distances at times but there is usually a crew of you travelling together so you will rarely be alone on the road. Whether you want to be behind the camera, directing it or in front of it this is a fantastic field to get in to with potential fame and fortune open to you if you are willing to work for it.

Whichever of the media careers is for you always remember to present yourself well at interview, dress smart, research the company before you apply for a position and be confident. Confidence is the key in the media field, as well as having a tough outer shell to ensure that some of the constant knocks and setbacks that you may encounter along the way don’t deter you from your chosen career field.

10 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

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The way you get asked questions in your interview may vary, but essentially all interviewers are trying to find out about your skills and experience, your enthusiasm and interest for the job and ultimately whether you will fit in with the company. Whether you’re applying for a construction job in Kent or a marketing job in London, there are a few key questions you should be prepared for before you start interviewing.

Once you have applied to one of the 467,512 jobs still available in the UK, then start looking through these questions and if you know the answers then you are ready for your interview!

1. Tell me about yourself?

This is usually the way most interviews start. Which is why your answer should be well rehearsed, confidently delivered and last around 3-5 minutes. It should focus on the areas that are of most relevance to the job you are applying for, include some impressive achievements and convey your enthusiasm.

2. What are your key skills/strengths?

Focus this area on what you know they are looking for. The job advert will give you all the information you need about their requirements.

3. What are your weaknesses?

Remember to pick a weakness that isn’t relevant to the job requirements, and if possible, that can be turned in to a positive. For example, saying that you can become frustrated if you spend too long sitting around and discussing something and not taking action.

4. Why did you leave your last job?

Your answer should be positive and upbeat, even if the circumstances were not. Just remember to never criticise a previous employer.

5. Why do you want this job?

This answer should also reinforce why you are right for this job and then portray your enthusiasm for the role. For example, how you are interested in a particular sector, or demonstrate a good match between your skills and their requirements.

6. Tell me about a difficult scenario at work and how you dealt with it

You are been tested at how you cope under pressure as well as your communication skills. Don’t panic, think of a time when you helped resolve or improve a difficult situation.

7. Tell me about an achievement that you are proud about?

Choose work-related examples that would be relevant to the business you want to join. However, you could choose personal achievements if they are very impressive.

8. What are your career goals?

No one wants to employ someone who is likely to leave in the next year or two, so reassure the employer that the role you are applying for fits your career plan and your longer term commitment to the company.

9. What are your salary expectations?

Try to avoid this, as salary negotiations are best handled at the job offer stage. If forced to, then give a realistic but wide salary range.

10. What do you know about our organisation?

You need to have done your research, so make sure you know the company structure, finances and products, who their customers and competitors are and the market trends.

This is a Guest post from Rebecca Airey, Community Assistant & Writer at job site Adzuna.co.uk

Online Careers Fair

Chat, Connect and Learn with GradU8, the Online Careers Fair

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How do you know what graduate employers really want? This is the question that is on the lips of many graduates and students as they contemplate life beyond university and start the process of finding their first proper job. Wouldn’t it be great if you could chat to real life top graduate recruiters to find out more about what they’re looking for?

Now you can, by attending GradU8 from 7th-10th November 2011. This is an online careers fair designed to bring together young jobseekers with fantastic employers offering graduate training schemes and other opportunities. There will be chances for you to chat live with these recruiters to find out more about the big issues: what roles are out there, what they’re looking for and what you can do to help your application stand out from the crowd.

This is a great way to make first contact with some of the top recruiters in the country, introducing you to them so you can learn more about graduate training schemes and start to make yourself known in important professional circles. The event is hosted by Total Jobs, so while you are talking to employers you can access the 7000+ graduate jobs currently available through Total Jobs and make a start on those all-important applications.

You’ll also have the chance to learn at GradU8 by taking part in the live seminars, hosted by exhibitors. With so many different issues that could have an impact on your career both now and in the future, these seminars are sure to provide you with valuable information that will help to equip you for the world of work. Whether it’s advice on the sort of experience that you should be looking for to increase your chances to get a place on a graduate training scheme or the best locations to look for certain jobs, you can be sure that a wide range of vital topics will be covered at this event.

One of the best things about this online careers fair is that it is completely free to register. Plus, the whole thing happens online, making it extremely convenient and ideal for anyone who wants to find out more about their graduate employment options.

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