A leading résumé writer and mentor helping you to explore all your options
and achieve what's best for YOU
Most people find a job search very stressful. They lack confidence in
themselves, whether they are employed or unemployed. One of the main
reasons for this is a lack of belief, emphasised by a poorly constructed
résumé. If your résumé does not make you feel good about yourself, then
you need a new one. If you haven't already done so, consider using my
professional résumé service to kickstart your job search.
Click here for more information about my résumé service.
A good résumé helps to build self-confidence. It gives you a
head start in the job search. You want to get it out there. Now it's
time to put a plan together to find your next job. There are a number of
methods you can use. These are:
I'll elaborate on some of these.
Job search services
'I didn't know they existed', is what you're probably saying to yourself. Well, they do, and I provide this service.
To find out more, click here.
Internet job sites
The day is not far off when virtually all vacancies will be listed on
these sites, rather than in newspapers, so it's worthwhile getting used
to them. It is best to set up your own account so you can set up job
alerts for the types of role which interest you. This saves you so much
time in your job search. You set up your own criteria and, when an
employer posts a job matching those criteria, you immediately receive an
email alerting you to the vacancy. Several alerts can be established,
so take advantage if you're an all-rounder capable of filling a variety
of roles.
The sites also allow you to upload several résumés and you can create your own résumé according to a designated style. The drawback to the latter is that, in my opinion, the style used is not necessarily the best.
When applying for a position, you can upload a cover letter but you also have the opportunity to write a cover letter as part of the process.
One advantage of these sites is that there is plenty of information to draw upon on subjects such as cover letters and interview skills. Click here for links to Internet job search sites in Australia.
Networking
It is said that some 75-80% of vacancies are never advertised. When I
look back on my own career, more than 50% of my jobs were found through
my network. So networking cannot be underestimated. What you need to do
is write down a list of all the people you know, from relatives to
friends to associates. Even the bus driver or your local newsagent is
part of your network. That said, out of all the people you know, can you
honestly say you know what they all do? Therein lies the problem. Many
of your friends will not know what YOU do,
what you really enjoy doing, and what you want to do in the future. So
you need to have the courage to tell them. If they are going to help you
in your job search, they need to know. For your network to be
effective, not only do you have to tell people but you also have to give
them a concise, written summary (either a profile or a résumé) about
YOU. By understanding you, and knowing what you're looking for, people
will be in a position to help. Once you've established that contact,
stay in touch and follow up, and make sure you thank people for any
assistance, however slight, that is rendered.
Recruitment firms
I've worked for them and I've written articles (click here for an example)
about the industry. Recruiters are commission driven and
interested only in filling the role for the client in the shortest time
possible. They have very little interest in the individual jobseeker,
unless you happen to match the selection criteria for a vacancy they are
handling. Thus, if you send in your résumé 'cold', don't expect an
acknowledgement and don't expect a phone call. Even if you follow up
with a phone call, you'll be lucky to get past the gatekeeper.
One other point. Don't expect them to keep your résumé on file.
It is a massive job collating and updating all the résumés that
recruiters receive, and it's only a few that maintain efficient
databases. Recruiters like to advertise - it's good for their image, and
it makes life easy for them, so what's the
point of keeping a database which is out of date within a short period?
Cold calling
Believe it or not, this can work, as long as it's done properly.
For some insights and strategies I've devised, click here.
FINALLY,TWO IMPORTANT LINKS
Click here if you need to improve your INTERVIEW SKILLS.