THE JOB SEARCH

Saturday, June 21, 2008

The job search is real work. Once you decide what type of work or career you want, you go after it. You must have a plan of action: How, What, Where, Who.Let’s first discuss the HOW. The first thing you need is a resume. The resume is a summary about you. It‘s purpose is to gain the prospective employer’s interest in your abilities and background.. It should contain PERSONAL information such as name, address, phone and possibly an embedded photo. You should present information that is pertinent, not distracting; age and marital status are not necessary and will come out at the interview. The objective is to get the interview. EDUCATIONAL background should come next, depending on your search. If you’re just out of school it’s your major selling point, but if you’ve been working, EXPERIENCE would be your major selling point and. EXPERIENCE would follow. Under EDUCATION you want to start with the highest level of education. And list your degrees and courses that may be pertinent to the position. You want information that is important and relates to the position. You can approach Experience in different ways. You can go from the last employer to your first employer. If you’ve had numerous jobs it’s advisable to list only those positions that apply to the job that you are seeking. You can list the company and dates or the industry or function and time worked, such as years. The standard is company and dates. You must provide a short synopsis of the job title or what you did. Most times the job title does not reflect the true value of the position and you must present it in such a way as to make it important. You want to state your accomplishments: saved the company so many $, sold so many widgets, improved procedures, saved time and cost by adopting new equipment or systems. Past Salary is not required unless specified as a requirement for the position. Those are the three major categories in the resume: Personal, Education and Experience. If you have other points that are important you should list them: hobbies, awards, professional organizations, important activities, military experience (if not previously listed), publications, other schooling and references. Remember the resume is a picture of you and a reflection of your potential to the reader. Your objective is to gain attention and create a desire for the reader to continue to be interested in you and your abilities. It opens the door to the interview.You can prepare your own resume or go to a professional who will work with you to prepare the resume... If you hire someone, be careful to check their credentials. You want to pay a fair price to an organization with a proven track record of opening doors and getting interviews... You want references. You want a resume that stands out: the paper, format, action words, reads well, and sells. Sometimes being fancy or artistic won’t cut it and will place your resume at the bottom of the pile, it depends on the job. Remember you’re competing with numerous people in the job market. The ones with the best resume and selling points will get the interview. Companies may have selective criteria that they use as weights: education, year’s experience, outside actives etc. They must insure a fair and equitable approach to granting interviews and hiring procedures.Along with the resume you want a short introductory cover letter. A letter that sells and states why you are the best person for that position and company. For each position, you should have an original cover letter addressed to the person you are petitioning for the job; CEO, VP, Department Head, Human Resources etc. You may want to send carbon copies to different individuals within a company. The real test is to contact the right person. Test your resume by reviewing it with friends and associates. Always keep a current resume available.The second part of the plan is What. What are your job objectives? What is the job or position you seek? If a first time job seeker your strategy will be different from a person that has been working or has had a number of jobs. Much of this analysis was covered in our previous discussion on WORK.Third How. You can read and answer want ads, network through friends, direct contact with organizations, use professional search firms, consult with government agencies in the public sector, check the web and newspapers regarding company changes that provide information on company structure or locations, job fairs, schools that provide job search assistance, check the web, Monster .Com and any outlet that provides information for finding that job. If you’re just starting out, you may consider starting in a low level position to get your foot in the door and hope that you can work your way up. This is an approach many people have used to rise through the ranks, from mail room to CEO. For those of you who have been out there awhile, and have family obligations, you may not have that luxury, but never rule it out, especially when the market is bad and you need a job. Sometimes a step back and a change can lead to good things...Fourth What. Know as much about the position or job title as possible, you should research the salary and the different levels for different areas. If possible, talk to someone holding that type of position and get their perspective on the good and bad aspects of the position. Learn as much as possible about the organizations that use this position or title. What is the turnover and why? Find out about people who have been successful and what led to their success. Does the position meet the criteria that you outlined in the previous discussions?Fifth Where. Is this the type of position you can find locally or one that requires relocation? This is a very personal issue and only you can answer. The bigger the market the better the opportunities for finding the position.Sixth Who. What company or organizations are you going to seek out? Make sure you know as much about the company as possible: profits/losses, reputation,locations,salaries, products, longevity, names of executives and backgrounds, turnover, organizational chart, opportunities for promotion, travel, education, benefits and more. You don’t want to go into a bad situation; you want a solid organization that has a future that you can grow with.Searching for that right job is WORK. It requires that you not only know yourself and your wants and needs but as much about the position and companies as possible. It requires confidence and the ability to sell yourself. Learn from your mistakes. Keep improving your resume and techniques that you use in the job search. This can be a long drawn out process. It takes patience. Never give up.Next time we’ll discuss the Job Interview.Your Friend and Neighbor.Sasiad
Posted by FROM THE FRONT PORCH at 8:03 AM

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