5 things you must do to find a job – part 5

The following is the fifth and final part of a FIVE PART SERIES consisting of five tips to help you get back into the workforce.

5. Follow-up with resume submissions and job interviews.

Perhaps you might think that this is the least important step of your job search. Wrong. You have to follow-up with your resume submissions and job interviews.

Instead of just blasting your resume to hundreds of employers and sitting back waiting for them to call you, you need to make that first step. After all, you are the one who is in need of a job. However, remember that the employer is also in need of a good worker, but you don’t want to sound too arrogant, eager, or desperate.

A confident follow-up phone call the next day to make sure that your resume was received would suffice. Ask about the application process, how many interviews (if more than one) will you need to go through and with whom you will be interviewing.

This is the opportunity to learn what to expect from the interview as well as the chance for you to show that you are really interested in the position. If you get to speak directly with the hiring authority, this will be your chance to convince them to schedule you for an interview. When you get that interview, don’t forget to ask for a business card from everyone you meet so that you’ll be sure to not forget their names.

In addition, you’ll have their full names, titles, and contact information for a follow-up phone call or letter. Remember to thank them for the interview and mention specific topics that you or they touched upon and answer specific concerns they may have raised during the interview. These follow-up techniques, if done right, will help them to remember you and differentiate you from other candidates.

LOSING A JOB IS A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE. It can leave you with a torrent of emotions including frustration, disappointment, anger, humility, shame, and hopelessness. By proactively taking the necessary steps to get back on your feet and to do everything in your power to re-enter the workforce, you can build up your confidence to face the next career challenge that faces you.

5 things you must do to find a job – part 4

The following is the fourth part of a FIVE PART SERIES consisting of five tips to help you get back into the workforce.

4. Network, network, network.

So, you’re unemployed and you don’t want anyone to know because you are ashamed. There is no shame if you were put in this situation through no fault of your own. Perhaps you were laid off. Perhaps you were in a bad work situation and you felt you deserved better. Either way, it is usually better to let others know that you are in the market for a better job.

Networking is another key element of your job search. Have you always wanted to work for a company in which a friend or acquaintance is currently employed? Do you have a friend who never complains about their job or their company?

Ask around to see if there are current openings at your friends’ places of employment. While there might not be an open position for you there, your friend might know about or come across someone who knows of an opportunity somewhere else. If you tell them that you are actively looking and that you need their help, they will be on the lookout for jobs for you.

If possible, also check with previous co-workers and employers for leads. Ask former teachers and classmates, churchgoers, social club members, anyone you are comfortable with telling about your current situation.

The more people helping in your job search the more likely that you’ll spend less time and be less frustrated. In addition, it is always easier and better to land an interview through a personal referral than it is to blindly submit your resume to XYZ Company.

5 things you must do to find a job – part 3

The following is the third part of a FIVE PART SERIES consisting of five tips to help you get back into the workforce.

3. Hit the job boards or hit the streets.

Now that you’ve done some of the prep work and prepared your resume, the next step is to actively start looking for a job. If you are internet-savvy (you must have some kind of tech skills because you found this article), you will be hitting the online job boards, wading through thousands of job listings and scrolling through thousands of job descriptions.

Don’t post your resume with an online job board because very few people find jobs this way. The rare ones that do are usually really lucky or are in a highly sought after profession, such as the technology or healthcare sectors. And even then, they are subjected to numerous recruiters and headhunters calling them to fish for references (potential contacts for them to later sell their services), waste their time and offer false hopes for job leads.

You want to target and send your resume directly to the hiring company and nobody else. In addition to searching online, you can also look in local newspapers and publications to find local jobs.

How’s this for a novel idea: do it the old-fashioned way and hit the streets to find your next job. Many small businesses and large retail establishments still advertise by posting “Help Wanted” signs. There might even be postings on grocery store bulleting boards, the local library, or businesses like the drycleaners or coin laundry. School district, government and city jobs are still found by visiting those official sites and submitting a paper application. The advantage of applying for and submitting your application in person is that you will get the chance to view and research a potential work environment. Do you really want to work at an overcrowded office in which the employees look tired, disgruntled or even angry?

5 things you must do to find a job – part 2

The following is the second part of a FIVE PART SERIES consisting of five tips to help you get back into the workforce.

2. Spruce up your resume.

When was the last time you updated your resume? Your resume is usually the first thing an employer sees. And first impressions count, because if they don’t like what they see, you will not get the chance to be seen (at that all important interview).

Contrary to the way things used to be done, many human resource professionals and hiring managers admit that they rarely spend the time to read a cover letter. With the influx of online applications and submittals through emails and faxes, hiring authorities don’t have much time to sort through resumes, much less read your cover letter. So, as to the cover letter, make it short, brief and to the point. Don’t make it more than three paragraphs of one to three sentences each.

As for the resume, chronological resumes will work fine if all or most of your jobs have been in a certain profession and you are seeking similar or the same types of positions. But if you haven’t stayed at any one job for longer than two years, or you’ve done a variety of different things, or you just want to try your hand at a different career, you might want to try a resume that first highlights your skills and qualifications instead of the traditional reverse chronological resume.

Taylor skills and highlight qualifications for each specific potential employer. Add keywords (but not the exact phrases) pulled from specific job descriptions to ensure that your resume is selected, especially if it has to go through an automated keyword search before it hits a live person. You can’t create a one-size-fits-all resume for every job application.

Your resume is a reflection of you. You want to show that you are capable and have the necessary skills to perform a certain job at a certain company. And of course, make sure that your resume is neat, clean, uncluttered, a good presentation of your skills, qualifications and experience. And always, always double-check for typos.

5 things you must do to find a job - part 1

It’s finally happened to you. You’ve joined the hundreds of thousands of Americans (and millions more around the world) who are unemployed. What happened? You were laid off. Or fired. Or you quit. And now you are trying desperately to find a job. But are you really trying that hard?

The following is the first part of a FIVE PART SERIES consisting of five tips to help you get back into the workforce.

1. Do the prep work.

The job search goes beyond a mere search and should involve a lot of preparation. Now that you don’t have a job, your job is to find a job. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Now that you’re not working, spend the normal 9-5 workday developing your resume, hunting down leads, applying and interviewing. Analyze and be ready to describe in detail the skills, qualifications and experience that would make you the perfect fit for a particular position.

Make a list of possible interview questions and practice answering those questions. Prepare yourself for other questions that might come up. Develop a list of questions for you to ask a potential employer that shows your interest in the job, knowledge of the employer, and understanding of the industry. Read up on subjects dealing with job hunting.

Now, doesn’t all this prep work sound like you would really need to spend your time full-time in your job search efforts? Note: even though these steps make up “prep” work, you will need to continually do these things while searching for jobs instead of just prior to starting the job search. Remember, knowledge is power, preparation is key, and practice makes perfect.

More than a job board

Now that you have familiarized yourself with Fewmillionjobs.com, you know that we’re the best solution for a quick and efficient job search.

As a job seeker, you know that through our graphics-based job board, you can easily search thousands of jobs with just one glance. You also know that you don’t have to surrender personal information to a third party by submitting your job application directly to a hiring company.

And as an employer, you can reach millions of potential job candidates through the power of Internet marketing and save thousands of dollars needlessly paid to recruiting and employment agencies.

But FMJ is working to be more than just a job board. We want to be a career and employment resource filled with useful news and information as it pertains to today’s job market. Keep visiting this blog regularly to find articles of interest: help with your job hunt, preparing for a career change, resume tips, etc.

Advantages of FMJ for employers

· A smaller company advertising with FMJ has a better chance of getting their job posting noticed compared to text-based job boards. In search results, a smaller company’s job posting might actually come up right next to the posting of a huge corporation in a situation where both are hiring for the same type of positions.

· FMJ is able to PROFILE SMALL COMPANIES BETTER by limiting the size of images.

· Since people apply directly at your company’s website, they have the opportunity to research your company as well as the industry your company deals in. More passive, uninterested or unqualified candidates might opt out from applying. This leaves the BEST QUALIFIED and the REALLY “INTERESTED” candidates applying for jobs.

· Companies can post /edit/change/make active or inactive ANY JOB AT ANYTIME. Everything is done online and all control is left to the hiring company. When a job posting is not working, anyone in the company can change the wording in an instant by logging in to their account.

· Having the ability to change a job posting at anytime means that a company can potentially hire for a lot of positions. A company can hire for anywhere between 1 or 100 positions or more, depending on how often the posting is changed.

BOTTOM LINE: FewMillionJobs.com is the most efficient, cost-effective way to advertise a job online.