FairGround asked:


I feel I get more tired from job hunting than actually working on a real job. Any comment on this, you want to share you job hunting experience?

Magdalena

Paul Megan asked:


One of the most dramatic changes in the 21st Century job market is in the way employers consider you when they first lay eyes on you.

For example, if you think that it’s your resume that will get you a job, you’re in for a long, LONG job search!

Or if you’re intent on proving yourself based on your work history . . . what you used to do for someone else . . . get ready for disappointment and rejection.

And if your confidence is based on your ability to passively answer all the questions an interviewer throws at you, you already lost.

Today’s employers are looking for people with energy. And they pick up on your energy before they even formally meet you. Do you exhibit the energy employers are looking for?

Energetic people exude vigor, enthusiasm and drive. They want and need to be active. Employers can sense this quality in a person almost as soon as they enter the room. They have a spring in their step and a drive that puts a sparkle in their eyes.

All this occurs even before you open your mouth. We know from experience that an employer or interviewer will make a go/no-go decision about you in a matter of seconds all based on the sense of energy you communicate when they first lay eyes on you.

So, if you are not this type of person, it would be wise to practice how to look and act energetically so that you can make a good first impression. It really makes a big difference because job opportunities are literally won or lost depending on how you enter a room.

Being aware of employers’ expectations is critical to your job search success. The old-fashioned job hunting techniques focused all the attention on YOU . . . your work history, your past accomplishments, your academic and other credentials, your qualifications, your objectives.

But all that’s changed. Today employers expect you to know what THEIR needs are and how you can fill them going forward. Displaying energy is the first step.



Rogelio

Dave Poon asked:


Nowadays, looking for a job is easy; this is because of the tools available online.

One effective tool for job hunting is job search engine. It allows you to look for job vacancies on a certain area or even globally.

What these job search engines do is create a bank of jobs, which came from different companies. Then, they categorized the collected data so that job seekers can easily locate a job appropriate for them.

This also provide convenience to job seekers since the search process has been narrowed down into just job listings instead of using a regular search engine that may provide you a long list of results and some may not even be associated with the job you are looking for.

Another advantage of using job search engines is their large job bank. If you are looking for job and does not have restrictions on the job location, then using job search engines is good for you.

Unlike the job ads in newspapers, which can only provide you limited search ads and you cannot go back to the ads posted the other day, job search engines provides a wide range of selection and are searchable as long as the job is still offered by the company.

However, some job search engines are limited only to certain regions or countries so you may want to check the services offered before choosing a job search engine.

Job search engines are also easy to use because all you have to do is using the search box. They even list the job per category so you can also view all job listings for a specific job position.

Some job search engine also great features offered by, which will make your job-hunting much easier. These include:

Free resume posting.

Job search engines often allow you to post your resume. Then, the job search engine will use this information so it can identify which job is right for you.

Instead of looking for a job yourself, the job search engine will send you an email with the list of new job posting which matches your preferred job, credentials and work experience (based on the resume you posted).

View company profile.

Knowing the background of the company that you are applying for is important so that you know if you share the same vision with what the company has. Also, from the profile, you can see what the company can offer to you.

This can help you decide if you really would like to be part of the company before even applying to them. You can also make comparison among companies if ever they posted same job openings. Thus, you can first collect and just select the best later on.

Customizable search.

If you would like to narrow your search and would view only job openings that meet your preset criteria, utilizing the customizable search can do this. Criteria can be job location, expected salary, schedule preference, category search or employment type.

Get job advice.

Some search engine sites even extend their help by providing tips and advice about your job or job hunting. You can look up for articles about resume writing, preparing for an interview, etc.

You may even send an email to them or chat with their agent about a problem you are having with your job or if you are having difficulty looking for a job.

With the many services and features of job search engines, they can effectively help you in landing to your dream job.



Wai-Bun

John Groth asked:


Basics of job hunting: Research the potential opportunities to reach the job you want.

Are you in a typical job hunt mode? Many times the job hunter mistakes activity for progress in finding that new job or the new career. By activity means pushing out a lot of resumes. With the internet, computers and printers it’s never been easier to mail out a huge volume of resumes. There are even some experts that advocate this approach again mistaking activity with progress.

This approach is like going to a gun fight with a shotgun in a dark room. So before we blast holes in the walls and hit nothing important, let’s see if we can bring some illumination to the process.

Essentially, there are two important problems with the “activity is everything” approach to job hunting. First, not having done the necessary research on the potential employer because of the large volume, if you get lucky and there is the initial phone interview, you don’t have the basic information about the employer or the job.

Sure, you can delay and call them back after you’ve done some research but this doesn’t always work. They may be in a time crunch and not give you the extra time, or your computer will crash or you internet access is down so you can’t get the information in time. In any event, you don’t come out of the encounter looking good, and your resume just went into the round file.

Second, if you haven’t put any thought or research into the possibility of working for a particular employer you are put into a vulnerable position. Let’s say you get the interview, and a subsequent job offer. If your career goals are not well defined, you tend to overlook possible negatives on the position and on the employer. You get caught up in the overall process and the possibility of change. Then, only later do you realize you made a big mistake.

The time to research the employer and the possible career fit is before you send out the cover letter and the resume. With a whirlwind of activity how can you possibly do justice to proper follow-up? This is only one of the defects to the “big activity” approach.

The lesson here is to do your research before you send out the resume. Keep a file on each resume sent out. The file will contain the following information about the company: amount of sales, locations, number of employees (get info from the internet or call and get an annual report); products and services; their competitors; recent newspaper clippings and magazine articles; reference information at your local library and other necessary financial data from Standard & Poors. This information is basic.

If possible interview people who now work for the company or worked for them in the recent past. This many times is not as hard as it sounds. For example, needing to get some basic information about a privately held company we found a newspaper story along the picture and name of a recently promoted manager. We called the company and asked to speak to him. He gave us ten minutes of his time to answer out prepared questions.

When you do receive the initial telephone call you’ll now be prepared. Your knowledgeable conversation will communicate to the caller your interest in the company and the opportunity. More often than not, this interest will move you to the next stage in the interview process. You now can take your research and do a more in depth study.

Nothing should escape your notice. In a competitive hiring situation a candidate got the job because he had learned the person he was going to report to graduated from the same college he graduated from. Of course this came up in the interview. And he learned later it was a close call between himself and two other candidates, but he was successful because of his in-depth research.

Do your basic research on the employer before you send out the resume. It will pay dividends in helping you make the early decision if the employer is the right fit for your career. This shouldn’t mean that you are overly critical of rejecting a relatively large number of employers, but the preparation will allow you to focus on the best fit. It’s better to spend your time on proper follow-up and research than throwing a large number of resumes into the mail and hoping something will land on the right desk at the right time.

Your project focus will also help keep you from making a big employment mistake by agreeing to a job offer with the wrong employer or agreeing to accept the wrong position.



May