Cv for Interviews

Job Hunting Tips

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 recruitment consultants, check your it 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
Having little knowledge about the position applied for
Having a superiority complex
Behaving arrogantly

The body language of the applicant must also denote that he isconfident 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 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 network the alumni of your college or university, trade groups, social networks, and professional associations. Remember, having a referral greatly increases your chances of getting the position.

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
You may find 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 experience 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 a 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.
More information on completing a proper resume will follow in an
upcoming chapter.

When youre looking for the perfect job you need to know how to find the job and
how to secure it. To do that you need to first identify your perfect jobyou cant
begin to look for the perfect job unless you first know what you it means to you.
Once you have formed an idea in your head and put it on paper you can begin
looking for your perfect job. At least by that time you will know the type of position
and company that is of interest to you and can forward from there.

Once you have identified your perfect job, the next step is to find someone who is
hiring for the position and type of company you want. The best way to do that is
through some type of classified advertisement, preferably online where there is a
larger selection from which to choose. When you have more options, there is an
increased likelihood that you will find what you want rather than having to look for
more opportunities because you are not able to find the one that suits your needs.
There is single way to connect with your perfect job that is better than another.
It
depends on what you seek and what your qualifications are for the position you
seek. Some positions are more readily available than others and will have more
selections from which to choose while others will have more limited selections,
especially in smaller areas. You also increase you chances of connecting to your
perfect job if you are free to relocate to another state or city, especially if you live
in a small town where there are not very many opportunities for employment.
When you are ready to connect to your perfect job, make sure you choose the
method that is going to provide you with the most job leads. It will become a
simpler process as you become more familiar with where to find job leads based on
your job preferences. In addition, as you learn how to present yourself positively
you will land that perfect job and no longer have to take the time to conduct job
searches. Everything ties in together and complements each part of the process. It
is important to make sure you understand all of the steps in order to have
assurance you are doing everything that is necessary from job search to application
to interview.

In the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, the sub-plot aside from the love angle
is that the heroine (played by Meg Ryan) was forced out of business
when the big-time bookstore owner (played by Tom Hanks) moved
into town.

Meg’s character owned a quaint little bookstore which she inherited
from her mother. Although the prices of her books were a little steep,
she makes up for it in service. She packs the books in a specialized
bag, and she knows all of her customers by name.

Tom’s character, on the other hand, moved into town to build a branch
of a big chain-bookstore which offered discounted prices and a huge
building, as compared to Meg’s little bookshop on one corner of the
town’s streets.
In the end, Meg was forced out of business because her customers
went to Tom’s monstrous bookshop.

Nowadays, this situation will not hold true anymore.
More and more small organizations are paving the way and giving big
businesses a shot of their own medicine

In the movie, the reason why Meg Ryan was forced out of business is
because she cannot profit anymore. Her prices are steep as compared
to the other big business’ discounted rates.

Her only edge is that she gives personal service, she knows her
customers by name and she has a very small staff, about 2 or 3
employees.

As a small organization you may turn around and have these qualities
as your edge to compete against the big sharks in business.

If youre seeking the perfect job, its impossible to say exactly where you will find
it. The key is to take your list of requirements and look at the available job postings
to find the closest match. You are not likely to find something that will match your
list exactly because most everyone tends to look for something more than what is
potentially possible to find. For example, everyone would love to find a job that has
free medical insurance, but that is not likely to happen in the economy today,
therefore you want to scale that down a bit into something that is more realistic.
Something you should remember when you are job seeking is that less than 20% of
jobs are listed in the newspaper. Most employers have a file of potential applicants
or look toward those who have the ambition to walk into their company to drop off
a resume and/or see a hiring manager. These are the people who have the highest
potential for being hired because they show the ambition for going after what they
want. It shows a potential employer they are an enterprising person and not
someone who is going to sit back and wait for something to happen.

On the other hand there are many employers today who refuse to accept resumes
unless they are actually hiring and with the cost of gas, many job seekers have
stopped just walking into a company hoping to have an interview. Most employers
today are asking to see resumes in their mail or inboxes before they will even
schedule an interview. How do you beat the game when you are up against
potentially thousands of applicants? One thing that many applicants fail to do in
todays economy is making a list of the places they have submitted resumes so
they can follow up on its status. Never attempt to rely on your memory because
several weeks later you will not be able to remember where you sent your resume.
Of course job posting sites such as Monster.com are available and many employers
today make use of these sites when searching for new applicants. By filtering your
search you have a better chance of finding the job you seek and seeing if it fits
within the scope of your perfect job before you submit your resume. This method
makes it convenient for employer and job seeker and allows both to see what is
available before they request an interview.

The initial step is to look at local newspapers for this provides information just by looking at the Classified Ads section and the lists of
wanted personnel and employment opportunities will be read. Applying at several companies initially in a local area can save an
applicant more time and money. If it so happens that a job was found late in the day, call immediately for inquiries and never let a day pass
when opportunities arise.

How to look for jobs that are not announced?
Sometimes companies and other employers do not really advertise any job openings in their organization. The best thing for an applicant is to
weigh things if it will be possible to be hired by a certain company by just submitting an application form or resume. Start looking for the
job personally. Tell everyone about your job hunting. Relatives and previous offices or company co-workers will be able to give hints on
job vacancies in their current companies. Professors or teachers will also be helpful in recommending schools and institutions that are now
looking for new instructors. These people might not have any vacant position in their company in mind but they certainly know someone
who knows or needs a new employee. That is what others call networking.

Often times, the Yellow Pages does the important job of providing information on how and where to call to look for a job. This gives an
accurate list of companies and prospective employers in a chosen area. Visiting the library is also a tool than can be useful when looking
for a job. There are libraries that have a list of local employers, just asks the librarian for more information.
Contact these employers personally, even if they did not advertise any vacant positions that needed to be filled

Lastly, be observant of signs posted on doors and windows of shops and stalls being passed by. If lucky, just walk in and ask for
information about the job and how to apply. After submitting application forms and resumes to the respective
companies, keep track of the progress by creating a chart where you can jot down the name of the company and when the application was submitted.

There are two main types of skills, hard skills and soft skills. Hard
skills are tangible in the sense that these are things that you do like:
knowing how to operate different kinds of machinery, knowledge of a
specialized computer program, ability to type fast, skills on using
many types of tools, credentials regarding special crafts, etc. Soft
skills are skills that are rather abstract in nature like personal qualities.
This may include the following: being a good team player, having the
ability to work on your own, being enthusiastic or organized and
decisive.

The steps to follow:
Making a list of your previous jobs and experience acquired
First thing to do is to make a list of all the companies that you have
worked for and the things that you learned from these jobs. There will
be a lot of things to list and you should be careful not to forget even
the smallest things or activities that you were part of or organized. It
is also a good idea to list the volunteer activities that you participated
in.

Include a list of your hobbies
Although it might sound trivial at first, it is also very helpful to list all
your hobbies. There are a lot of abilities that your prospective
employer may get from your hobby list. This will also give an idea of
your personality. For example, if you were part of the school’s
debating team, then your employer may deduce that you have good
analytical skills. If you were a champion chess player, then your
employer will have the impression that you are good at making critical
decisions. Think of your daily routine and the things that you do and
often take for granted. Are you an organized person who always keeps
your things in proper order? Are you an extrovert that can easily make
friends in a matter of minutes? These may seem ordinary to normal
things to you, but your future boss might think otherwise.

For more than twenty-years, Carla’s primary focus was working her way up the corporate ladder in the Human Resources department of a large publicly traded company. Day after day she worked hard to meet the demands of her superiors and colleagues, until one morning she woke up with a sickened, sinking feeling in her stomach.

It was her career, she realized. Having spent nearly half of her life working in an unsatisfying job, with few genuine accomplishments and the goals of her youth long forgotten, Carla had hit midlife and she didn’t like it. To alleviate the feeling in her stomach, Carla began making a conscious effort to pay more attention to the gap between the reality of her life and the dreams and passions she once had. She was determined to pounce on her one last chance for a career that could make the second half of her life more meaningful and fulfilling.

In 2004, Carla decided to nourish her passion to serve the elderly and today, is the owner and operator of an adult day care facility in Houston, Texas. She is now planning her next venture—an assisted living program for low-income elderly residents.

Is Carla’s story unusual? According to a study reported in Prevention Magazine, not in the slightest; “79% of baby boomers will expect to work at least part-time well into their golden years,” the study has revealed. “A growing number of adults are looking at their 40s, 50s, and 60s as the right time to start fresh in an entirely new field.” What drives adults to change their careers? The answer, in a word, is midlife.

Craving a more fulfilling and meaningful career is just one area of focus during midlife adjustment. As adults reach midlife, at a time when parents and older relatives begin to die, the realization that their lives, too, will come to an end begins to hit home. Suddenly the importance of achieving goals and doing what makes us happy becomes much more important. This is the time closet authors, entrepreneurs, musicians or artists will begin thinking about careers to match their energy, vitality, and passion for life.

The life cycle is, for most of us, fairly predictable. From adolescence to age 30, most of us are consumed with learning how to become who we think we want to be. We go from our 30s to our 40s working and living that role. But at age 40, midlife, after having reached this goal, many discover it wasn’t what we wanted to do after all. At this midlife point, after having worked so hard only to find ourselves wanting, many are willing to take on the challenge of more risk and freeing ourselves from the burden of other’s expectations.

Longer life expectancy plays a part, too. At midlife, says Deborah Carr, sociology professor at Rutgers University, people realize they still have nearly half a lifetime yet to live and wonder how they will spend those years. “They know they’re going to have lots of healthy years, so I think it’s a period of making choices to live out one’s dreams that got put on the shelf during younger years.”

Women are well represented in this mindset, with more women than ever using their midlife as a springboard to experience positive career transformations. They want a career that matches their energy and allows them to be successful as individuals. More and more often you will find women starting businesses, gaining respect, and finding purpose in their midlife.

The lesson we can take for Carla’s story is that midlife should not be feared, and that the sinking feeling in your stomach should not be ignored. Both are an accepted call to action. Changing your job, career, or lifestyle may take some work. But if you truly follow your passion, the effort will provide infinitely positive results.

Are you ready to make a change? Here are a few tips for getting started on a successful second career.

Make a list of the things missing in your life
Do you long to revive a passion from your youth that you never found time to pursue? Is it music, a sport, writing, cooking, entrepreneurship? It doesn’t matter what, as long as it’s something you truly have a desire to do. If you’ve already got a clear picture of the passions you’d like to pursue, then identify small, achievable ways you can start incorporating them into your life.

Imagine that you already have one million pounds in the bank
How would you spend your time each day? Think of the environment you’d like to be in, the people you’d want to know, and how you would relate to them. What activities would you engage in? Chances are your passions come to the surface when you play-out your “winning the lottery” fantasies. Although we’re not all destined to be millionaires, that shouldn’t hold you back from following your desires and placing more value in yourself, regardless of your bank account balance.

Tap into your wisdom and experience to re-evaluate your current career
Ask yourself what’s not working and what you want to change. Use this time to reflect on your life. Are there any passions or dreams that you abandoned in your youth? If you don’t know what you want to do, try volunteering as a way to develop new interests. Find a way to live your passion everyday. I once heard someone say, “You don’t get what you want out of life, but what you believe.”

Understand your passion, but also where your strengths lie.
It’s critical to take an inventory of your life and to determine what is really important. Make a list of the things you are passionate about, and then narrow the list to items that present an opportunity to generate income. If you’re not pursuing your passion, what’s in the way? What do you need to do to move forward with pursuing your plan?

Keep your day job
You don’t have to quit your day job to focus on your passion. It’s not an all or nothing proposition. I meet people all the time who say they’re working full-time and pursuing their dreams on the side, in their free time. You may still need to earn a living while you transition onto your new path. This is true whether you’re planning to start a business or preparing to establish a new career.

Start right now
Over the next 30 days; make a commitment to yourself to identify one thing you can do to begin pursuing your passion—and start doing it! Research ways to integrate your passion with your current obligations and take those first steps into your second career with achievable goals. You’ll soon discover that living and working your passion is being in control of your own life.

You’re looking for a new job, and you’re on Twitter. What should you say in 140 characters or less that would help you reach your goal?

First of all, you have to identify your target audience and surmise what your target audience would be interested in. As a job seeker you primarily have two audiences: recruiters/hiring managers and colleagues who can refer you to openings. Fortunately for you, recruiters/hiring managers and colleagues have one very important thing in common. They are both looking for the best and the brightest. Recruiters/hiring managers want to identify the cream of the crop when searching for the ideal candidate. Colleagues also want to refer those who will make them look good in the eyes of the company that they refer people to. So your task as a job seeker is to demonstrate that you are on top of your field.

Simply advertising the fact that you are looking for a job is not sufficient, and if overdone, can prove your undoing. Instead you need to devise a job search strategy that reaches your target audience effectively. One method that you can incorporate into your strategy is tweeting the URLs of articles that discuss new trends in your industry and/or profession. This subtly shows that you are savvy about what is going in your field. This is especially important for people who have been unemployed for awhile because it is easy for employers to assume that if you have been out of work for some time that you are not current with your field.

Another part of your overall job strategy can be to maintain a blog and comment on different aspects of your field. You can tweet the URLs of your different blog posts along with a very brief description to entice your followers to go to your blog. (Using a URL shortener such as bitly.com will give you a few more characters to share more information with your followers.) In addition, you can highlight information that you receive at professional association meetings or professional conferences on your blog, again directing your target audience to your blog posts.

Yet another tactic is to provide links to news videos that are related to your field. For example, if there is a news story about how the proposed financial reform of Wall Street will impact the financial services industry, you can share that video via Twitter. Your audience will appreciate the timely information and also view you positively as a professional because you are sharing useful information.

In order to increase the likelihood of your tweets being found by the right people, you should use hashtags that relate to your field. You may need to do a little research by using variations of different keywords related to your field to find hashtags that are commonly used, but it will be worth your while to do so if hiring managers and recruiters find you as a result.

Lastly, you can increase the visibility of your tweets by connecting your Twitter account to your LinkedIn account so that your tweets automatically show up in your LinkedIn status bar. LinkedIn and Twitter can be used together effectively in a social media job search since they are complementary in nature. Twitter’s brevity is its strength, but LinkedIn allows you as the job seeker to go into much more detail about your professional background.

(Feel free to follow me on Twitter @cherylepalmer and connect with me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylpalmer. You can also register for a free social media job search webinar at http://www.calltocareer.com)

There are several things that you want to remember when you are looking for a work from home data entry job. First of all, you always want to be sure that you are dealing with a company that is going to do good work for you and that is not going to rip you off… Then, you want to take a good look at the type of work you will be doing and make sure that it is the type of work that you are suited for, and the type of work that you will be able to do easily. Lastly, you want to be sure that the money you are getting is going to fit your needs.

When you are finding a work from home data entry job be sure that you do your research and be sure that the jobs you are finding are not scams but are actual jobs. This might sound confusing and it might be hard to do at first, but once you have been looking for work from home data entry jobs for a long time, you will be able to spot the scams and will be able to avoid them. You can also look for the name of the job or the name of the company that offers the job online and see what people are saying about that job or about the company that offers them. This is another great way to make sure that you are able to understand what the job is all about and that it is not going to be a scam. Doing your research will help you make sure that you are not being scammed.

Then, you want to look into the job and make sure that it is the right job for you. Be sure that when you choose a work from home data entry job to apply to you are finding one that really meets your needs. It should be a work from home data entry job that you can easily do and that you know you will be good at doing. Be sure that you take your time and research each of the jobs that you might apply for and make sure that before you apply for a job you know that you will be good at it and that it is something that is actually going to interest you. This is something that is very important.

The last thing that you want to think about when you are finding work from home data entry job is whether or not the pay rate is perfect for you. Be sure that when you find a work from home data entry job you are finding one that will actually work for you, and then be sure that you are going to be paid the right amount for it. This is something that you want to figure out very carefully, because if you are not going to make enough money to live on from the work from home data entry job, it is not going to be the right job for you. Be sure that the money is what you need it to be.