10 Ways to Improve Your Job Search
Looking for a new job can be one of the most frustrating parts of human life. Most people look for a new job when their financial stability is in complete limbo. This makes searching for a job both stressful and emotional. The truth is many candidates can significantly improve their chances of employment by making minor adjustments to their search strategy.Here Are 10 Way to Improve your Job Search:
1. Clean up you application materials. Your resume and cover letter represents yourself on paper. You can be the most charming, personable and qualified candidate for the job position, but if your application materials contain typos, grammatical errors, inconsistent information, your application will be taking a quick trip to the trash-can. Make sure to have between two and three people review and edit your application material before submitting. Ensure that your peer reviewers are able and capable editors.
2. Personalize, personalize and personalize. Recruiters look at thousands of cover letters a year. Put yourself in their shoes. What would you want to read if you were looking for a new employee? Include a sentence or two about how you are the right fit for the job. Research the company and find the name of the person you are submitting your cover letter to and address it to that person.
3. Captivate. Your cover letter and resume cannot be regurgitations of the same information in different formats. Include new information like how you found out about the job, why you want to work there and what you can do for them. Always close with a teaser such as a request for an interview.
4. Do not showcase weaknesses. Many recruiters cite applicants calling forth their shortcomings. You need to exude confidence in your application material. Exploit your strengths and hide your weaknesses. It's up to the company to decide if you're qualified for the job.
5. Do not sound cocky. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Read your application carefully to ensure you are not coming across this way. Most companies are looking for team players that are amenable to learning new policies, ideas and business practices - do not shoot yourself in the foot by showcasing arrogance.
6. Edit your MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook pages. The Internet is open to anyone to read. Ensure that beer bong photographs and 4AM karaoke pictures are removed from your public pages. Google yourself to see what comes up, because recruiters will see the same results.
7. Follow-up. Hitting the send button on an online application is only the first step in landing an interview. Call the hiring manager to confirm you application has been read and check on the status of the job in question.
8. Diversify your search. The Internet is a great place to look for a job. Unfortunately, the majority of employment opportunities are not advertised. Be proactive. Put on nice clothes and walk into the companies you would like to work for and inquire about open jobs. If none are available, ask for an informational interview. Register with a job recruitment agency; network with likeminded individuals; and attend industry events to stay on top of career news.
9. Be honest. Recruiters and human resource coordinators are paid to extract inconsistencies in your application materials. Do not misrepresent yourself. Be proud of your accomplishments regardless of how trivial they might seem to you. Also, misrepresenting yourself on a resume is bound to catch up with you over time. Do not fall victim to this dishonest practice.
10. Do not give up. You have a full time job of looking for a job. Experiment with new cover letters, resumes and approaches. Be persistent - it will pay off in the end.
http://www.freecareersearch.com/article/10_Ways_to_Improve_Your_Job_Search.html
posted by Ahmed Ali @ 3:40 AM
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