Tough times out there for job hunters and I am more than sympathetic. Ted told me yesterday that the economy is really driven on consumer purchasing. When people are not afraid, they spend, whether they have the money or not. This is because they believe that tomorrow will be a better day. Today, most people are wondering about that one and many are worried that things will be so different that they won’t be able to survive.
As a caveat, I personally believe that the US government should allow people to collect a paycheck in a job and augment that with partial unemployment payments to yield a higher, livable wage, to encourage people to get working again. Most of the entrepreneurs in the job market have taken a couple of part-time or full time minimum wage jobs to yield the same results. To my mind, I would rather see 2 people working, rather than one person trying to make ends meet by working a 16-hour day.
Further, it is not a good practice to have someone say “I make more on unemployment than I would if I worked,” and thereby cut out the incentive to find a job. All this does is encourage long-term collection of unemployment benefits and fails to get money into people’s hands so that they can start spending again. Remember Ted’s perspective on the consumer spending economy?
Let’s talk about how to position yourself to find a meaningful job, hopefully better than 2 part-time or full-time filler jobs. Even if you are applying for an hourly position, you should put your resume together. This is a handy document to reference if you are required to fill out an application, since all the information is right there on a sheet of paper. Also, it makes a great impression on your potential employer when you bring along your resume.
So, to put your best foot forward, take some time to visit MS Office on the web and download a resume template that suits your style. Accurately fill in the blanks with your education, background, prior work experience and job objectives. DO NOT go over 2 pages in explaining what you have done on your resume.
Also, I recommend that you include only the last 10 years of experience and work information by employer. If your experience is older than 10 years, you probably are not prepared to qualify for your old job today. If you want to include this information, under your last employer bullet on the resume, put a general statement, such as this one for an engineer “prior employment – experience in leading an engineering team in process improvement, experience managing rolling process team in a manufacturing environment, experience in retail sales.”
- Proof read and spell check your resume. Use clean paper and do not have any white-outs or erasures. Do not prepare your resume as you eat your lunch and spill food on it. All of these things get your resume pushed to the bottom of the circular file.
- Your resume is your first impression to your future employer. In the job objective section, tell why you think you would be a good prospect for the employer. What are the contributions you will bring to the employer? A couple good sentences are all you need. It’s not about you…it’s about them…
- In searching for companies to submit your nice new resume to, identify key words that appear in their description of the job, particularly as it relates to qualifications. Be sure to incorporate those key words within your resume, since most companies use key word searches to pick out resumes from the thousands they receive.
- Search for jobs that you qualify for. This doesn’t mean you have to get a job like the one you used to have at all. It just means that you need to be able to qualify for the position, based on your past experiences and educational background. If the job posting says 4-year degree required and you don’t have a 4-year degree, submitting your resume will most likely get you screened out immediately. Apply for the jobs in which the background and requirements match your qualifications. With all the new legislation surrounding the internet tracking of candidates, companies today shouldn’t be considering candidates who do not meet their posted job requirements.
- Be open minded. The world is changing and things aren’t like they used to be. Unless you are engaged in a job where there are plenty of openings, think outside the box by going to various job search sites and putting in critical skills you have and searching that way, rather than by job title. Then read all about these available jobs and apply for those that interest you.
- Attend training or skills improvement classes. By showing that you are actively preparing for a new role, your employer will see that you have the initiative they just might value in a new employee.
Next time, let’s talk about the interview process. I’ll share some good advice on how to present yourself to make a good, positive and memorable impression on your potential employer.
Filed under: Current Discussions | Tagged: Interviewing, Structured Hiring Process, Behavioral Event Interviewing, Hiring criteria, hiring
