Posts Tagged ‘Many People’
Tips on Using Your Warm Contact List When Networking
When you are searching for a job, aside from checking the ads in newspapers, internet and bulletin boards, it is also very helpful to ask
for information from the people on your warm contact list. They can provide you with up-to-date information on the company and
position vacancies that are not posted on job ads. At times when they cannot provide you information about the job that you are looking for,
they may be able to refer you to a person that they know who might be able to tell you something about the job.
This is called networking. Networking is when you start using your warm list to get information or referrals to their other contacts. Many
people are repelled by the thought of networking. Some believe that it is not a reliable source of information about the job. Others say
networking is more difficult than following the leads on the ads that are posted in the newspaper, internet or ad boards.
Contrary to such beliefs, networking is not that difficult to do. You may just have to contact or meet some people, and you can get
valuable information that can help in your career search. Also, since the people you meet belong to the same industry, they can provide
you information about hiring that isn’t advertised and first-hand facts about the company.
You are already networking and you just dont know it. When you have seen an ad in the paper posted by a company you know little of,
you ask your friends if they know somebody who works for the company. So even if you are not attracted by the idea of networking,
it is still essential when seeking a job. To make networking easier and more productive for you, here are a few tips.
The Three Biggest Job Search Mistakes
Do you blame the economy for making you stay at a dead end job? You feel you are stuck at your current job because there are no good jobs available in today’s economy. Well you are not alone. Many people feel the same way.
But is this honest? Is it really the economy’s fault or is it your fault and you are using the economy as an excuse to not look for a different job? Once you have joined the club of reality, read on.
Even in today’s economy, good jobs can be found; it just takes a little more time and effort to find them. Stop making excuses and get out there and find the job you want. Read the next part very carefully, it could prevent you from making a fatal mistake.
Lesson One
Look for and find a job that you want to do. Do not base your job search on what others think you would be good at doing. You know you better than anyone else. You surely have a good idea of the types of jobs you would enjoy doing.
In today’s economic situation, it is vitally important to be passionate about what you want and equally passionate when it comes to finding the perfect job. If your heart is not in it then you are doomed before you ever start.
Lesson two
The best jobs are those that are filled via word of mouth. They never have to advertise because the best people for the job come highly recommended by others associated with the company. Someone who knows someone talks to someone, then that person talks to someone, and so on.
Network for the job you want. Tell everyone you know about the job you are after. Ask everyone you know if they know of someone you could talk to about the job. Talking to everyone you know and getting them to talk to everyone they know is called networking.
Lesson Three
Take action now, do not delay, time is of the essence. You can find an entirely new job market through networking. It is the best way to find your dream job. Do not make the mistake of thinking small. Be creative and talk to everyone. Talk to the cashier at the grocery store. Talk to the bank teller when you cash your unemployment check. Talk to the mail carrier and the paper boy. You never know who others might know. It could land you the job of a life time. Being highly recommended from a friend of a friend is much better than being one of hundreds turning in applications for dead end jobs.
Searching for employment can be an overwhelming undertaking. With all the competition doing lots generally has to be matched with value for success. Have a look at Target Jobs for constructive recommendations and also Target Employment application. Having sound suggestion saves time searching for what may work through having to look through what doesn’t. By receiving solid help probably will boost one’s chances of separating yourself from the opposition.
The employment marketplace is forever shifting and the individuals who are able to adapt the quickest often will be the ones that get first choice of the top opportunities. Through the accessibility of information and the upgrades in computer, searching for work is not what it once was.
The game has changed in a huge way and at the moment people have to not only manage to deliver a total package of abilities and knowledge for the profession but have got to also learn extra competencies to even be given an meeting for the occupation you want.
Finding a Job in the Internet Age
Looking for a job in any field, especially for a beginner, has always been challenging – beginners have to overcome their own insecurities, at the same time that they learn to navigate the marketplace and follow promising leads. Here are some of the most important things that you can do to speed up your job search:
Prepare a good resume and cover letter
Most people do not understand the purpose of a resume – it is not to get you a job. It is the interview and subsequent meetings that will convince the prospective employer to hire you.
The resume’s main purpose is to open the door and get you that interview. But now you need to consider the employer – he or she is busy, has little time to review lots of resumes, is probably confronted with many many resumes, most of which are from people who lack the proper qualifications. So how will a resume convince the employer to call you for an interview.
The resume must stand out – there are just too many that look alike for any but the most interesting and powerful to stand out. You need to capture the employer’s attention and interest – your resume needs to make the employer feel that “this” one seems promising.
Make sure that the resume is very clear – you need to make it easy for the employer to pick out what he or she is looking for. List specific skills and experiences that you know the employer is looking for – don’t be vague!
Integrate into the resume any and all experience in the field that you are applying for that you have acquired- even if it was not. Experience in any kind of writing counts for something – and often it is the very “something” that motivates the employer to give you a call.
But simply waiting to hear from a company to which you have sent your resume is counterproductive. Here are some tips:
Use Social Contacts
It’s best to try to spread name out to as many people as possible and to let people know that you’re in the job market; this is the way many professionals find jobs, especially freelance jobs. Use your social contacts as much as possible – today, the internet also provides many ways to expand and reinforce social contacts: social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook, twitter, etc. Make sure that you have a good LinkedIn profile and an impressive resume there – then make a habit of linking to people, correspond with your links, send lots of messages, join groups and make comments or send messages.
The key is to maintain a high profile. You can try to reinforce the internet links with real meetings wherever possible.
Social networking is one of the main ways that professionals get jobs today, especially in hi-tech fields such as programming, technical writing, etc.
Be Proactive
It’s important to realize that you need to actively contact people to get a job – you can’t just send out resumes and wait. Actively contact companies that you have strong reason to suspect have a job opening, or are contemplating one. Many companies do not advertise their open positions right away – if you can contact the company before they think about advertising, you can considerably increase your chances of getting a job.
Where do you get tips about which company has a potential opening? One source is from friends who work in the company – for example, friends may tip you off about an upcoming project. You then simply contact the company directly and introduce yourself as a friend of so and so, and suggest a meeting.
Other ways of finding clues as to which companies are hiring in your field is to follow advertisements for positions that are related to your own. For example, say you are a technical writer and you discover that a software company suddenly advertises for software engineers, programmers, and other hi-tech personnel. This indicates that the company may be starting the development of a new product or product version. Now you make a good guess that the company might be under pressure to finish a lot of documentation related to the project – so you contact them and ask if they are interested in hiring a good technical writer.
Be Persistent
You can’t just say, “OK, I’ve done enough, I’ve sent 50 resumes, that’s it. You need to be persistent. Of course, some people confuse persistence with misguided obstinacy – they send out their resume to one company and then just sit and wait for one company to come through – this is like waiting for the winning lottery ticket. That kind of persistence is just a waste of time and emotional energy.
Real persistence means to keep contacting new companies – you need to keep going and never give up. When you get a “no” from a company, just go to the next one. To put yourself in the right frame of mind to do this, just tell yourself that you have to collect lots of “no’s” before you get a “yes” – every time you get a “no” you get that much closer to getting a “yes”. That’s the reverse psychology that you need to keep going. Tell yourself that if you don’t get 10 “nos” you won’t get a job; force yourself to keep contacting new places. Have confidence when you contact a potential employer – don’t sit trembling in fear, hoping to hear a “yes”. And, avoid contacting an employer again after they have rejected you. I have seen some people contact the same company again and again, as if there were no other companies to apply to. This is a mistake – a completely warped idea of what it means to be persistent.
You can considerably increase your chances of finding a job if you apply the strategies and techniques outlined in this article – be creative, open, sociable, and persistent.
Educator and sociologist Dr. Mati Schwrarcz has been training English speakers as technical writers and marcom specialists for over 17 years. Since then his graduates have become leading writers in hi-tech companies throughout the world.
YEDA Center for Technical Communications
http://www.yedacenter.com
Things to Consider when Identifying the Perfect Job
During your process of identifying the perfect job, there are some things you may
want to keep in mind. Although you are going to identify what is important to you
its also important to be realistic in your expectations. Some of the areas in which
people tend to place the most focus and expect too much are listed below. Look at
the items on your list and see how it compares to the items on this list.
Salary
Salary is one of the biggest areas where people have a tendency to expect too
much. They tend to think they are worth more than they really are to a new
company, and that often causes them to lose the position. Be realistic when you
identify your salary requirements, keeping in mind that now many employers are
not hiring at all, so getting an interview gives you an edge over others.
Medical Insurance
Although this is an area of major concern, it is also one that many people tend to
overstate when identifying their perfect job. Very few employers today are paying
the full cost of medical insurance, so to include that as an item on your list of
criteria for the perfect job is ludicrous. What you need to do is rephrase it to state
medical insurance at a reasonable cost.
Vacation and Sick Time
Do not lump the two of these together because not all companies offer sick time. In
fact some companies actually lump the two together and call it by various terms or
they may include sick time as part of personal time or include both vacation and
sick time as one item. You also dont want to expect to take vacation right away or
have two weeks right away. Although some companies do allow two weeks
vacation after six months, many companies still only offer one week during the first
year.
Retirement Plan or 401K
Many companies today are getting away from the retirement plan and staying with
the 401K plan. This is reasonable to expect from your perfect job but do not
attempt to identify what you expect from the plan since it is regulated by the
government leaving the company itself very little leeway in what it can offer. The
only difference you may find among companies is the funds they offer and
percentage they contribute for each employee.
Is Getting the Perfect Job Worth the Extra Effort?
There is a great deal of work involved in obtaining the perfect job. It begins with
defining your idea of the perfect job then searching and obtaining interviews. It is
not an easy task and you may ask yourself if it is worth the effort but when you
look at the end results that you can accomplish you will know the effort is
worthwhile. When you have to work anyway, isnt it worth it to do something that is
worthwhile and enjoyable? People who have a job they enjoy are more successful
than those who work a job they do not like.
The efforts you exert in having the proper training and experience will give increase
your opportunities in the workforce. With an enhanced skill level you have a better
chance of finding the job you want and being able to secure it. Certainly it takes
more effort but when the job market is in a slump, you will have a better chance to
remain or become employed. The effort you exert in both obtaining and maintaining
your perfect job will provide all that you need during those times when the job
market is in a slump.
For many people a job is nothing more than a way to make sure their family has
what they need and although this is the major function of a job, is it not worth it to
having something that is enjoyable? The extra effort you exert to have the job you
really want will allow you to become a higher achiever than you would under other
conditions. For instance, those who like their jobs are likely to become managers
and executives while those who do not like their jobs usually remain in the same
position unless something else opens in another department or another company.
The effort you exert to find the perfect job will ensure that you will enjoy a lifetime
of success as long as you continue to put forth the effort. Its essential to go the
extra mile in order to make sure you will not be overlooked when it comes time for
promotions. Even if you do not advance with your current company, if you decide to
move forward to something else, you will have the skills necessary to be an integral
part of another company doing the job you enjoy because you put forth the effort
to achieve.
How to Prepare for the Interview
In order to get the perfect job you have to first pass the interview process and get
to the hiring manager. That means you have to know how to conduct yourself at
the interview in order to even pass the first stage. There are some places that will
hire you directly without going through the hiring manager but you still have to
pass the interview process to be hired. Many people just go to an interview and
have no idea what they need to do or how to conduct oneself and end up losing the
job because of it.
One of the places many people go wrong at interviews is not having a clue about
the company or the position. Not all companies ask that question but you have to
be prepared. It makes you look foolish if you dont know anything about the
company. They assume if you want to work for them you will take the time to find
something out about the company. You do not have to know a great deal, but you
should at least know what the company does and the types of products or services
they provide.
Before the interview you should also prepare a list of questions you want to ask the
interviewer. Most of the time the interviewer will ask if you have any questions, and
if you dont have any, the consensus is that you are not concerned enough to ask
any questions rather than that the interviewer covered everything. However, if he
or she does not offer the information, you do not ask about the salary at the
interview. This is something that is against interview protocol and should never be
asked until a job offer is made. Most interviewers will discuss the salary as part of
the interview process but if that is not the case, do not ask.
If you are not sure where the company is located, leave extra early for the
interview or do a dry run the day before your interview. You want to avoid being
late by getting lost, and though this may not be possible if the company is out of
town or you are leaving from another job, make every effort to make sure you
know exactly where the company is. If you are not sure and cannot leave early
from another job, make sure you obtain explicit directions from the company where
you are going.
Choosing the Perfect Job
Once you have already defined what the perfect job is to you its time to begin
looking for positions that meet those requirements. The way you do that is by
putting all of your attributes together and connecting them with available positions.
You want to be realistic when you take this step and not try to find the job that
includes every attribute on your list. What you want to do is find something that
closely matches what you perceive to be the perfect job rather than trying to find
something that has everything you want.
One of the problems many people run across when they are looking for the perfect
job is expecting too much. For example, you may feel you are worth 30,000 as an
experienced administrative assistant but there may not be available positions to
support that. Be willing to accept less than what you want in order to get into the
position of your dreams. That does not mean you have to take something you do
not really want but you do want to leave some leeway for compromise.
In order to make the right decision you want to look at the list you have made of
attributes you seek in a job. If you have not already done so, identify them by
importance. There will always be some things that you absolutely must have and
others than are negotiable. When you are in the process of identifying what is the
perfect job for you never identify only those factors that are absolutely necessary
always leave room for negotiation. If youre looking for something that will allow
you to telecommute half of the time be willing to settle for one or two days a week
instead of pushing a position aside because it doesnt offer as many days as you
would like. There are many different ways to negotiate for a job but not all of the
areas are negotiable.
With the job market currently at such a low point it is ludicrous to think you are
going to get everything you want. You may have an idea in your head about how to
get the perfect job but when the economy shows there are more people looking for
job than there are available jobs you will find you have to make more sacrifices.
Instead of risking not obtaining the job that may indeed turn out to be your perfect
job be willing to reduce the number of mandatory options on your list.