The economy’s battered and companies seem to lay more
people than they hire but bottom line is other companies in the same industry are
still hiring. It’s not that the newly hired or promoted have better grades or
better job experiences, the difference comes in how different applicants handle
the job application and selection process.
Job seekers should aggressively market themselves to
decision-makers and the people who influence those decision-makers. You must
also do an honest assessment of your efforts to determine if you're doing
everything you possibly can to secure an offer.
Here are some key questions job seekers ask themselves
once they enter the job market.
1.
What do I want and who do I need to know?
Figuring out companies where you want to work this
includes people you may know at these companies. This might include friends and
old colleagues—or even your boss if you're angling for an internal promotion.
Even if the people you know aren't in a position to hire you, they can help
open doors.
Ultimately, you want to find the decision makers and people who
have the ears of decision makers, whether it means sending a resume and cover
letter directly to them, or asking an acquaintance for an introduction. "It's
really important to be strategic,"
2.
Am I looking in the right places?
Look to transfer your skills to another industry if
your industry is in turmoil, right? If you performed marketing duties in
hard-hit banking industry, try seeking a marketing-related position in insurance,
which has added jobs.
3.
What can I bring to the table?
Having all the contacts in the world won't matter if
you can't sell yourself. Look at your recent accomplishments and what they say.
From there, come up with about three adjectives that describe how you want
people to view you and weave those keywords into your networking conversations
and interviews.
4.
What are my accomplishments so far?
Once you know what you have to offer—whether it's your
great people skills. Find those accomplishments you had in the recent past. Maybe
your IT skills prevented the company’s system from going under when the IT guy
was absent. Whatever accomplishments you've achieved, have lots of examples
ready. Find a way to spin your accomplishments into meaningful lines on your
resume.
5.
What great use will I be to the company?
Applicant use cover letters to talk about their past. Instead
sell yourself as someone who can do specific work for the employer. Research
the goals of the company you're applying to and where they're trying to go.
Then, explain why you're the person to help them reach those goals.
6.
How does my experience advantage the firm?
Chances are the job application you are feeling has
tens if not hundreds of other applicants consider what you have to offer—the
number of sales you've closed, for example, or your deep connections in the
community. But if you have an employment history that stretches back a few
decades, don't feel like you have to include every job you've ever held.
Instead, stick to what's pertinent to your current career.
7.
What's happening in my field?
If you’ve been out of the job market for a little
while, find out what skills you might need to acquire in order to get
up-to-date. If you’re an accountant you may need to learn that new accounting
software program or getting to know how different social media tools work.
8.
What keywords appear in the job advertisement?
Never send the same resume for each and every job. Take
time to customize it for each. This makes sure you're speaking the language of
the job posting.
This is necessary because some employers use software to scan
resumes and pick up keywords. If there are terms in a job vacancy that match
your experience, use them on your resume—for example, you might swap
"management" for "supervisory" to echo the advert.
Never be surprised if your prospective employer asks
for your social media accounts so clean up your profile on a social networking
site that feature boozy photos or a few off-color comments from your friends. Spruce
up your image.
You should try typing your name into a search browser
like Google and see what comes up. You can be certain an employer will. A blog about
something relevant to your industry may just be the edge that gets you that
job.
10.
Am I ready for the interview?
Even with an education from a top varsity, impressive
work experience or recommendations from influential people in the industry it
all comes down to the interview. Question is are you ready for it?
Treat each interview as if it's the most important
because, even one person in the process can nick your chances by raising doubts
about your candidacy. Practice every possible question you think you may be
asked, and research the employer and its competition thoroughly.
While you might not be grilled on that, it demonstrates
an interest in this particular job and field.