Start your job search while you are still getting an education. Make sure you take the courses that will prepare you for the line of work you have an interest in. Keep your GPA high. It will serve you well in your job search.
Dress properly for your interviews, even if you don’t need to be. Just because they allow casual clothes doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to impress the manager looking like you should have the job.
After you are done with your interview, be sure to send a thank you letter to the person who interviewed you. This not only is an act of graciousness, but also shows that you are following up in a professional manner. This will make a great first impression if you did not make one already.
If you have a tough interview coming up, engage in at least one practice interview with someone who you respect. This can be with a teacher or a member of your family, so that you can prepare for the pressure of the actual interview. This will help to alleviate stress on the big day.
When looking for a job, consider shifting industries. If you are in between jobs, that is usually the best time to make a change. If you have been working in sales, for example, now might be the best time to shift to real estate. Look for ways to use your skillset in new ways, and that will expand the list of possible jobs for you.
When it comes to communicating with potential employers, focus on keeping your words bright, light and polite. ‘Bright’ refers to the quality and freshness of your ideas compared to those of other candidates. Do you offer interesting perspectives and insight into innovation? ‘Light’ sentiments avoid overly cynical or negative statements. ‘Polite’ is self-explanatory, but is commonly overlooked in interpersonal communications. This includes proper grammar, respectful title and a nod to professional etiquette.
If you are on an interview and the interviewer asks what salary you prefer, always be as conservative as possible. It is better to say a little bit less than you want, as this is sometimes the weeding out process a company uses based on the budget that they have.
Great insurance benefits are a magnet that can draw in the best of the best. With rising healthcare costs, and rising premiums, a great insurance policy can steal away the best employees from your competition. Be sure to be known for this, and it will pay for itself in the long run.
If you are an older job seeker, understand that you do not have to include the dates of your high school and college graduation or dates of courses you may have taken early in your career. Additionally, you do not have to list high school at all if you graduated from college. It is understood that you also have a high school diploma.
If a full-time job is not readily available, consider working part-time as a contractor in your field for the time being. This may get your foot in the door with a company. Recruiters also do not like to see huge time gaps in an applicant’s employment history. So, working part-time can make that gap smaller.
Many of us turn to the internet in our quest to find a job. The majority of jobs, however, are not found over the internet, so don’t make this your sole strategy. You will likely need to call prospective employers and go to their offices to introduce yourself and try to get your foot in the door.
Make sure you are networking with as many people as possible. When it comes to finding a job, you need all the connections you can get. Attend professional meetings that are in your field and even outside. If you have graduated, stay in touch with your professors and other alumni. All these people might be able to assist you in finding a great job.
On a job application or at a job interview, be sure to give a potential employer your cell phone number rather than your home phone number. This is especially true if you live with others who may forget to tell you the company called. It would be a shame to miss out on a great job because a family member forget to tell you the company called.
Never trivialize details and responsibilities of previous positions. Taking on a flippant tone to describe interactions with customers, clients and coworkers reflects poorly on you. Hiring managers look for candidates who take obvious pride in their performance and the satisfaction of others. Even if your performance in one area was not to your standard, you might still mention it and discuss how you used it as a learning experience.
After you submit a job application, be prepared for phone calls. Be careful when answering the phone. Making an excellent first impression is vital, even though it is just through the phone.
Never lie. If something happened in the past that you would rather that others do not know, do not list on the resume. You don’t know if your employer may figure out the truth later on.
As you can see, there are many tricks and tips that can help you in your job search. The most important of them being that you need to plan everything that you can ahead of time and work towards your specific goals. There are good job openings available, but only for those individuals who have proven themselves capable and committed to good job performance.
