Archive for May, 2008

Matching Your Skills to Find Your Ideal Job

Saturday 31 May 2008 @ 10:16 am

Skills refer to the things you do well. The key to finding the most appropriate jobs in the industry is recognizing your own skills and communicating the significance written and verbally to a probable employer.

Majority of the most viable skills are those that are used in a variety of work settings. What are these skills? Would matching your skills to find the right job be successful?

* Determine your skills. This would help you in becoming the lead candidate of landing the job. A skill does not necessarily mean it was adapted in a work environment. If this would be your first job hunt and you have no job experience to date, you still have a chance in the industry.

Majority of skills, including knowledge-based and transferable, could be absorbed and developed as a volunteer, a student, a homemaker, or in your other personal activities. The skills you have used for these activities can still be applied to your desired jobs.

Organizing and listing your personal skills could help you easily fill out job applications, provide useful information for job interviews, and prepare quality resumes.

First, you should categorize the skills by separating your interests and aptitudes from your work experience.

1) Aptitudes and interest.Â These include all of your hobbies, activities you have been involved in the past, and all the things that interest you. By listing all of these down, you could examine the skills it takes to achieve each item.

Skills from aptitude and interest may be homemaking, playing basketball, fixing cars and many more. All of these items could determine if you are capable of working with a team, able to handle multiple tasks, have viable knowledge of human development, knowledge of electronics and ability to diagnose mechanical and numerical problems.Â The list goes on, but make sure to consider the skills that would be beneficial for a working environment.

2) Work history. This includes volunteer, part-time, freelance, summer and full time jobs.Â Once you have listed all your past employment, examine the skills you do work each work duty.

* Ask for help. As soon as you have your list ready, you could now go to job services that could help you acquire your desired job.Â You could also search job yourself. However, always remember to match your skills and abilities in your list to the needed skills and abilities of various jobs.

In most cases, people who seek jobs are threatened with job titles. This should not be the case. As long as your skills and abilities could meet the requirements of the workload and job title, your possibility of acquiring your desired job increases.

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8 Job Hunting Tips You Must Know

Saturday 31 May 2008 @ 10:12 am

Are you a fresh graduate and planning to look for a job? Did you just recently quit your job and are looking for greener pastures? Are you unemployed and have little experience regarding ways to secure a job? Whatever your situation may be, it would be to your advantage to study the following tips:

Check your resume for mistakes

Before submitting your resume to a prospective employer, check your resume for corrections at least three times before handing it over. After researching about the job position, it is critical that you format your resume to match the needs of the company. For example, if you are applying for an accounting job, you should put in detail your accounting experience on your resume. Typographical and grammatical errors are serious no-no’s. It is also ideal to keep the length of the resume’ to at least a page and a half long.

Taking the interview challenge

A survey conducted by a staffing and consulting firm based in California which corresponded with 1,400 chief financial officers concluded that candidates for employment made most of their mistakes on their interviews. Some of the mistakes they made include: arriving late, having little knowledge about the company and the position applied for, and having a superiority complex and behaving arrogantly. The body language of the applicant must also denote that he is confident yet not overpowering. He must maintain eye contact, have a strong handshake, and avoid looking defensive by the act of crossing the arms. Wearing the right clothes is crucial for projecting a confident stance. As they say, it is better to go to an interview over-dressed than being under-dressed.

Answer questions smartly

A common mistake of interviewees is that they tend to get tense and forget the questions that are given to them, which has the effect that they are not prepared for the interview. It is important to research about the company and the position applied for to prevent being side-tracked during the interview. If you do not know the answer to the questions being asked, it is better to admit you don’t know the answer to the question and add that you can research about it. Look for the skills or expertise that the company is looking for so that when interview day comes and the interviewer asks about your strengths and core competencies, you will be able to match it to what they need.

Getting the necessary referrals

Having a referral from one of the company employees can go a long way toward landing an interview. A typical company may receive job applications in the hundreds and usually 35% to 60% of all job vacancies are filled by referrals. The odds of getting hired when you have a referral are very high if you have another 200 to 500 applicants vying for the same position. If you do not know anyone from the company that may give you a referral, it is a good idea to the alumni network of your college, trade groups, social networks, and professional associations. Remember, having a referral greatly increases your chances of getting the position.

On online application

With the current trend of technology and its merging with business processes, more and more companies are now requiring prospective applicants to submit their application online. Thus, first impressions are relayed not by your first appearance but by the quality and content of your e-mail. E-mails regarding job application should be polished and well-articulated. When applying on-line, use the following tips:

Complete your sentences and do not abbreviate.

Employers do not like when you send them application letters that seem to be too casual. It is important to make a letter that is both formal and well written. This gives a good impression regarding your capabilities and skills.

Get directly to the point

When writing an application letter, you must be concise and straightforward. Do not put a story on the letter just to get the attention of the employer, chances are he or she will just get irritated with you and this only reduces your chances of getting hired.

Consider potential issues that may hinder you from getting the job

Although there are instances wherein there is a lot of need for a job but the requirements for the position may entail training programs that may bar you from getting the position due to its highly competitive nature. Some require a lot of experiences even at least 3 years of work experience. Some may have no barriers to entry but the job itself may entail a very routine work flow.

Getting the job you want may be a challenge but never lose hope. It is better to wait a while and get the job that you will enjoy rather than get a job as soon as possible but ending up dissatisfied and unhappy. Make the right decision then act on it.

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Seeking Freelance Writer - Council on Competitiveness - Washington, DC

Saturday 31 May 2008 @ 10:05 am

a freelance writer for press releases, op-eds, newsletters, and other various publications. Writing… Please send resumes and writing samples to Jennifer… (From JournalismJobs.com)