Choosing A Job Site That Fits You

In a few years time, it will not be surprising if people use the Internet for everything that they need to do. Even now, the virtual world is rapidly providing consumers with every kind of service, from shopping to news, from getting our degrees to landing a job. Yes. The Internet can serve as our one-stop job application shop with less the stress and the walking!

Gone are the days when job applicants have to scour the city for job openings or encircle an office address and then submit a resume there. Although, it is still being done now, most are relying on the Internet to do the searching for them, both for the employer and the employees.

In fact, companies use job sites to post their job openings as a way to make sure that the applicants that they will be calling for interview know their way around the virtual world and of course, know their computer basics. It is also more convenient and in a way less expensive than advertising in major newspapers.

Job sites provide convenience to job applicants too. All these people have to do is to just register or log into the job site, post their resume, complete some documents and soon they will be sent potential job openings that fit their qualifications.

If they are interested in a position, they will just click the apply button and will be asked to accomplish a number of documents. Their resumes and their profiles will automatically be sent to the company. Some companies also require online job applicants to finish a short essay. This is one way for the company to know their language abilities.
Job sites provide every kind of convenience but of course like all other kind of services, one job site varies from another.

Although there is actually no limit on the number of jobsites that you will join in, it is important that you choose the best among the rest as everyday job postings can clog your email and will only serve to slow down your search for your dream job. Below are some tips that will help you choose what job site you should be affiliated with.

Go with the established ones

The more established the job site, the more companies will post their openings there. If you want to find jobs in good and reputable companies, sign up with a job site that is already established. This way, you can be sure that all the positions that you are getting from the email are quality and legitimate.

Go for the extras

Every job site offer job postings and resume postings but what sets a job site from the rest are the extra services that it offers to consumers. There are job sites for instance that provide help for job applicants especially in accomplishing their resumes and in composing their cover letters. There are also sites that help them choose the right kind of job that will fit their education and their talents.

Some even contain articles that teach applicants to have a successful interview or to have a winning look come interview day. In short, the help does not only stop in finding you the job, it also extends to helping you get the job.

Go for the global

There are also job sites that do not only have job openings within the country but also outside. Sign up with these sites if you want to get a job in other parts of the world.

Ten Steps to Planning Your Job Search

I read somewhere once that it can take on average about 500 hours to find a new job – the ‘right’ job, but that most people give up at 40-50 hours. What make these latter people lose sight of what they were after? I personally think a big reason is not having a good plan to help them keep focused and motivated. So here are a few tips I have gathered from how some of my clients have successfully executed their job searches.

1) Be clear about why you are searching for a new job Do you need to get out of the job you are in right now sooner rather than later? Or is it time to go for the next logical step on your career path – and only the ‘right job’ wil do? If you know what’s driving your job search, it’s easier to keep focused and remember for the sake of what you are choosing to spend some of your freetime on the job search process.

2) Be clear about what you are looking for Even though you might just want out, preferably yesterday, it is important that you know WHAT it is you are looking for, otherwise you’ll end up doing what’s sometimes referred to as: spraying and praying - sending your CV out to anybody and everybody, and praying that someone will get back to you with the dream job offer. I probably don’t have to tell you that it rarely, if ever actually works that way. Employers like people who are targetted and focused, who know what they want – or at least who look like they know what they want. So define what industry/industries you are interested in, and what types of roles are you interested in/suitable for. And start your search with that as your focus.

Some people may find this limiting, but it doesn’t have to be. A word of caution, whilst starting from a place of figuring what you don’t want is okay, don’t leave it there. Not wanting certain things isn’t a direction, and won’t give you a focus.

3) Know your strengths, skills - and references to the fact In addition to knowing what you want, the next important thing is to know what it is that you can offer a potential employer. Most people leave this to the interview process, and it might be too late. You’ll also need to know this for your cover letters and any possible conversations you have with recruiters or with people who can introduce you to the right people.

Most of you could probably tell me without much thinking what you’re not good at. I strongly urge you to change mindsets here. For between now and when you get your next job (and preferably after as well) focus on what you are good at, how have you added value to your previous employers, what you enjoy doing. And as important is identifying who you could ask to speak to your strengths when someone asks you for a reference.

4) Get your “tools” sorted out So you know what you are looking for, and you know what you have to offer. Now is the time to get your ‘tools’ for the job search process ready. Find the latest version of your CV and update it with your most recent jobs. Make sure that your CV focuses on how you have added value to your previous employers not only on what your responsibilities were. For example, instead of saying: ‘responsible for monthly meetings’, write: ‘organised the agenda and effectively ran monthly meetings for department of 14 people resulting in increased communication within the team’ or whatever better describes what you actually did and what the impact of it was to the organisation you were working in.

Some people will be tempted to write a master cover letter at this stage as well. I’d have a trial copy, but resist the temptation of having a standard one you send out. Employers want to know that you are interested in them specifically, so make sure you always always always customise your cover letters.

5) Do your initial research One part of job searching that most people miss is actually doing the initial research to find out what’s actually out there and where to find the jobs that you are looking for in the industry you are interested in. I’ve read statistics that say 66-75% of jobs in London are not advertised! So how do you find them? By having conversations.
Informational interviews is the ‘fancy’ term for these conversations. Essentially it’s about finding people in the industry who will help answer your questions about the work itself and how most people got about looking for work in that field. It’s also a great way to present what your strengths are, so even though the person you talk to may not have jobs on offer, if (s)he likes what they hear, and a colleague of theirs says they are looking for someone, then your name may get thrown around as a possibility.

This type of networking is invaluable throughout the job searching process, as it helps you to build the contacts you’ll need in the eventual job itself. It also helps to build your knowledge of the field for possible future interviews.

6) Identify what your preferred job searching methods are In addition to conversations, there are many job searching methods to choose from. Most people stick to the internet, newspaper ads or recruitment agencies. Whilst I know people who have been successful using these methods, they are not always the most effective. It is worthwhile to search in industry magazines and websites, and to talk to people who have contacts in the area. This is a far more likelier way of getting what you are looking for.
“What Colour is Your Parachute” (the job hunter’s ‘bible’) advises that it’s best to choose 2-3 methods that you will primarily use in your job search. This helps you to keep focused, and it helps you not to spread yourself too thin, and yet not put all your hopes in one basket.
7) Define how much time you want to spend on a weekly basis Job searching can easily be a full-time job. Most people talk about ‘finding time’. My experience is that it can’t be found, but it can be ‘made’. I recommend to clients (whether working or job searching full-time) to define how many hours they will spend on job searching per week, and then to put this time in their calendars. One of my clients called it ‘meeting myself for job searching purposes’. My experience is that if it isn’t written up, you won’t take the commitment as seriously, and it’s unlikely to happen.

8) Set yourself goals on a weekly basis In addition to defining how much time you are going to spend each week and when, I also recommend that you set yourself numerical goals for each week. Because how do you measure job hunting? How do you know when you’re done? It’s a lot more motivating to have goals that we accomplish. Yes, your ultimate goal is to get a job, but that’s not one that you can actually control. You want your goals to be ones that are completely dependent on you doing the work. So set down targets such as: write 5 applications, check out 10 websites, talk to X, Y and Z. This will help you to be so much clearer about what you are doing, and also help you avoid spending hours surfing on the net without much to show for it!
9) Practice your interview techniquesDon’t leave getting ready for interviews for the last minute. Even if it’s downloading a list of ‘most typical interview questions’, reading through them and thinking how you might respond – that’s enough. Begin to feel comfortable about answering any type of questions, as the interview is inevitably in front of you, and that interview is what will land you the job.

10) Let the people who are close to you help you Most of us feel we have to do things ourselves, and we’re not very good at asking for help. And yet most successful people say that the secret to their success is hard work AND utilising resources (such as people) around them. There are several things that the people around you could do for you. For example, they can support you in general, they can have invaluable contacts you may not know they had, or they can offer an extra pair of eyes to look at the jobs that they might come across that fit what you are looking for.

In summary, it’s tempting to give up on a plan if it doesn’t work, but the people who are most successful stick to their plans, and if they are not working, they don’t dump them, they revise them! So put together a plan, amend it along the way if you have to - but stick to it!

World's Best Job Interview Tips

When it comes time for you to meet with a prospective employer you want to be a prepared as possible. It doesn't matter if you are seeking an hourly wage position or an executive level career posting -- the person who will make the hiring decision wants to see you at your best. From the way you appear to them when you first enter the interview area, to the answers your offer to their questions, to the overall demeanor of your personality, you will be judged -- make no mistake of that. Understanding that reality means it is to your decided advantage to control as many of the key job interview factors as you can. In this article we will address some of the world's best job interview success tips, so you may have a better idea about how to address and manage some of those key job interview skills.

First of all, appearance. As obvious as it may seem to some, not everyone dresses appropriately for a job interview. Your idea of appropriate dress may often come into conflict with what is expected by the hiring authority -- maybe not. Please remember that the hiring decision maker, like most of us, wants respect. They don't necessarily want to see your sexiest garb, or your hippest attire, or your most faddish display. Mostly, they want to see you dress nicely, usually in a suit -- yes, even for hourly wage jobs.

Recently, I had a restaurant executive who met with the CEO of the company at one of the restaurants that happen to be in the local area where the job candidate resided. It was meant to be a job interview meeting, but one orchestrated to occur at one of the CEO's causal themed restaurant locations. The CEO felt it was a good way to illustrate the image and flavor of the company to the prospective job candidate. Imagine the surprise, which I heard about later, when the job candidate walks in wearing a golf shirt and pair of loose fitting jeans and sneakers. The job candidate, whom I questioned later, felt since it was a casual job interview location it was appropriate to dress casually. I informed him that the CEO did not feel the same way. The idea is this, even if the interview location is casual, always dress in a suit, ladies too. Dress to show the level of your professionalism, not to match the physical location. However, that rule goes out the window when the job interview might be in an unusual environment, such as a factory tour location, heavy construction area, or such. In those cases, ask the person setting the interview what sort of dress is expected. Otherwise, always dress to make a great impression the instant you enter the job interview area.

The next most important job interview success tip is your demeanor, your personality. Smile. Be friendly, but not superficially pleasing. Plan to engage the job interviewer as much as they engage you. Strive to remain composed throughout the interview. Most interviewers will attempt to put the applicant at ease, in order to elicit "off the cuff" remarks and spontaneous answers that reveal aspects about one's self that may not otherwise be offered. If you enter into a job interview with the intention to retain a somewhat detached, friendly, but professional attitude, you will be at ease, but you will also maintain your sense of decorum and objectivity. That sort of an approach helps create in the mind of the interviewer the belief that you have an aire of confidence and control, a friendly, but results oriented personality -- because it will be true. But that sort of demeanor doesn't happen on its own. You must prepare by practicing those attributes prior to your job interview. And it's easy to practice those skills.

Without announcing your intention, enter into just such a somewhat detached, but friendly and still engaging attitude when you are visiting with family or friends, or if you meet someone new. You will soon see that such a professional demeanor is an easy persona to turn on or off. And don't feel like you are portraying a fake part of yourself, a faux-you. You don't go out in public in your underwear -- or, at least most of us don't. In that same way, job interviewers want to see the best part of your personalities, not the full spectrum of your emotions.

Lastly, prepare in advance for the type of questions you expect to have to address in a job interview. Each vocation will have its own set of related job questions, so it is difficult to address in this article all the possible questions that may arise. Suffice it to say that if you make a list of the primary issues or other problems that are routinely addressed in the sort of job you will interview for, then create a specific list of solution strategies that answer those problems with practical remedies -- and have an example from your experience about how each remedy was implemented -- then you will move far ahead in your efforts to express yourself as solutions oriented job applicant.

In many cases, it is also prudent to quantify your answers as much as possible; meaning to say, apply to your answers numerical statistics or results. If you think of a job interview as a sales presentation -- which it is -- then you will understand that every supporting material you can bring to bear will strengthen your candidacy for the job at hand. That includes having copies of any training or educational or vocation related certification or degree or accomplishment that may apply to or be of interest to the interviewer, or related to the job.

Follow the guidelines above, let them guide you as you prepare for a job interview. Too often applicants feel that they know their skills and experiences better than anyone else and that they alone can decide the best way to present their credentials and skills. Maybe that is true for some. But for most of us, we get caught up in ego based beliefs that cause us to enter into a job interview without consideration of how what we do or say or how our behavior may influence the outcome of a job interview. If you doubt that statement, please ponder the example of the very skilled, very professional, very knowledgeable restaurant executive whose "beliefs" caused him to dress down because his logic told him strongly that a casual environment meant casual dress. He is still looking for a good job, and has since realized the mistake it was to follow his own good advice when it comes to a job interview.

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH