Five Mistakes That Can Derail Your Job Search
by: Ruth Anderson
No matter how much time and energy you invest in job seeking, critical mistakes can derail your efforts.
Consider the following job search scenario.
Each of the mistakes described below can put your job search off track, but all are easy to avoid.
Mistake #1: Starting with a Handicap
Your job search is underway.
Time to get out your resume, dust it off, and add your most recent experience? Right?
Wrong.
A strong job search starts with strategizing, and a strong resume should be the vehicle to put your strategy into action.
It isn't enough to dust off an old resume ? you need a revised resume that is tailored to a specific position and a specific employer.
Ask yourself? What are the top needs and preferences of this employer?
How can you address the employer?s needs with specific information about your experience, strengths, and accomplishments?
And how can you structure your resume to convey this key information in a quick, 30-second scan?
To avoid mistake #1, assume that your resume is much more than a personal history that simply needs a little updating.
Start with a strategy, and rewrite your resume so that it speaks directly to the interests and concerns of the employer who will read it.
Mistake #2:
Sending Less-Than-Your-Best
Your resume is done, and you?ve written a cover letter to accompany it.
Now you?re ready to drop both in the mail in response to a job ad that especially interests you? Right?
Wrong.
Have you first made very sure that you?re not sending out less than your best?
Many job seekers fail to realize that both the resume and the cover letter are seen as examples of the quality of their work.
This means that all aspects of overall quality are important ? including spelling, grammar, visual layout, organization, and clarity of writing.
Errors will stand out like a flashing red light, and anything that makes the resume and cover letter difficult to follow may cause them to be tossed aside.
To avoid mistake #2, follow this rule of thumb:
Have at least two other people read both your resume and cover letter before you send them out.
Tell them your job-search strategy so that they know what you want to communicate to the employer.
Mistake #3:
Cyber-Regrets
The employer has called for an interview!
In addition, he?s asked that you e-mail a copy of your resume to another person in the company.
That's easy ? a quick note with a Word attachment? Right?
Wrong. A casual approach to the computer world can lead to embarrassing mistakes.
Regrettably, e-mails usually can't be called back after clicking on the "send" button.
As before, avoid mistake #3 by treating any letter as both an opportunity to convey your qualifications and a sample of your writing.
Avoid common e-mail shorthand and short, terse paragraphs ? the former can come across as "unprofessional" and the latter as impersonal.
Finally, to be on the safe side, print out your e-mail and attachment to make sure that all looks well in hard copy.
Then send the e-mail to at least one other person, and ask them to review both its content and appearance.
Mistake #4: The Missed Opportunity
You?ve prepared for your interview and thought over all the answers you may have to supply.
There's not much more you can do? Right?
Wrong.
Chances are that at some point in the interview the employer will turn the tables and say: "Do you have any questions?"
If you respond by saying "no" or by turning to practical details ("What is your benefits package?"), this will be a missed opportunity.
To avoid mistake #4, think of several questions beforehand ? questions that speak directly to the responsibilities and challenges of the job itself.
Employers want to know how you think and what you would be like to work with; your questions are an opportunity to show that you can take on the challenges of the job in a constructive way.
Mistake #5: Letting the Ball Drop
You had a strong interview, and you're waiting to hear whether you got the job.
At least now you can take a breather while you wait? Right?
Wrong.
Until you have a job offer, assume that it's up to you to keep the ball in the air.
First and foremost, send a thank-you letter to each person who interviewed you, making reference to one or more things that were discussed.
Second, follow up at regular Intervals to indicate your continued interest and keep your prospects alive.
It?s tempting to hang back so that you ?won?t be a bother? ? but the job seeker who lets the ball drop may lose out to the one who is politely and persistently enthusiastic.
© 2005 Ruth Anderson
About The Author
Ruth Anderson is the owner of Vantage Point Coaching & Consulting and author of WRITE RESUMES WITH CONFIDENCE:
|
No Clips? No Problem!
No Clips? No Problem!
by: Brandi Rhoades
Writers who have no clips often believe that they cannot get work. That leads them to accepting underpaid and unappreciated jobs that in the end will not put them in a better position to land better gigs. If you are in that position, you have options! Don?t settle for jobs that aren?t worth your time. Instead work on making yourself more marketable.
1) Find the right markets.
Locate a couple of markets that work with new writers. You can find them by searching online using ?welcomes new writers? or ?new or experienced writers? and similar phrases. You will come up with magazines and e-zines that will be happy to give an opportunity to someone without any publishing credits. Start by studying these publications. See what they want and then work up a good query for them.
2) Write on spec.
?On spec? is writer-speak for ?on speculation.? You write the full article and send it to a market...
No Clips? No Problem!
Sample resume > No Clips? No Problem!
Is the U.S. Dollar About To Reverse Course?
Is the U.S. Dollar About To Reverse Course?
by: Mike Fitzpatrick
For the first time in several years the U.S. dollar has managed to gain value against the world?s other major currencies. During the first three months of 2005, the U.S. dollar is up approximately five percent against both the yen and the euro. The gains for the dollar should be considered significant when considering the United States still faces a growing trade imbalance. So far this year, currency traders have shifted their focus from the United States? large trade and current account shortfalls toward the higher rates of returns being offered on U.S. debt. The recent strength shown in the dollar has somewhat shifted sentiment within the financial markets about the future direction of the currency. A Bloomberg survey released earlier this week shows that the major currency traders expect to see dollar weakness resume later in the year, but the sentiment among dollar bears is much weaker...
Is the U.S. Dollar About To Reverse Course?
Sample resume > Is the U.S. Dollar About To Reverse Course?
If Your Resume is the Cake, Your Cover Letter is the Icing
If Your Resume is the Cake, Your Cover Letter is the Icing
by: Heather Eagar
Cover letter writing is almost as important a skill for a job seeker to learn as resume writing.
The cover letter accompanies the resume at all times as the primary support document.
Whether you use traditional mail, email, faxing, or another type of electronic submission, this should always be sent with the resume.
There are, of course, other tools you?ll use when job seeking.
Your cover letter and resume come first of course, followed by follow-up letters, thank-you letters for after the interview, reference sheets, salary histories, and job acceptance letters.
If you have good cover letter writing skills, and good resume writing skills, the other written tools should be a snap to compose.
Your goal in this is to get the attention of the hiring manager, just as it is with resume writing.
The method and format are...
Sample resume > If Your Resume is the Cake, Your Cover Letter is the Icing
The Power Of Words: Market Yourself By Adopting A Whole New Language
The Power Of Words:
Market Yourself By Adopting A Whole New Language
by: Allison Nazarian
I think we all agree that gone are the days when we would mass e- or snail-mail tens or even hundreds of resumes just for the sake of telling ourselves that we?ve done all we could to find the right job.
Assuming that it?s fair to say that the right job search is all about the right job and the right employer, then how do you let the right employer know you are the right employee?
Really, when it comes down to it, the only thing between you and your next job is a few hundred words that, if chosen correctly, can take you places.
When it comes to knowing and using the right lingo, you?ll want to:
Do your research.
What kind of company is this? Do you know and really understand what they do? What is their culture, are they by-the-book or casual?
What ideas and themes do they embrace? What does their website, their...
Sample resume > The Power Of Words: Market Yourself By Adopting A Whole New Language
17 Important Things To Remember As You Prepare For An Interview
17 Important Things To Remember As You Prepare For An Interview
by: Laura Adams
Several Days - One Week Before the Interview
1. Spend some time to research the organization and the position at hand.
To find company-specific information, visit your local library, run a search on the internet, or talk to current or former employees about their experiences and impressions of the company.
Study up on the company's products and services, industry, target market, annual sales, geographic location(s), structure, history, officers, and any other key information.
Are there any new trends in the industry?
2. Identify the organization?s major competitors and do some basic research on how they differ (either positively or negatively) from the company at which you are interviewing.
3. Prepare specific examples of how your skills and experience make you a strong fit for the organization?s needs.
Practice answering...
Sample resume > 17 Important Things To Remember As You Prepare For An Interview