Job Hunting - Bits and Pieces of Information and Advice

 

I recently read that there are four unemployed people for every available job and since I had a job interview on Monday (a summer job but still), I thought I'd post about some tips that I think are important to help you with your own job search.

Network, Network, Network

I can't stress this enough. It is so important to take the time to meet and maintain connections with people. Help them out and they will help you too, or at least point to someone who can. Make use of social networking sites - create a profile on LinkedIn, it's a great way to be noticed professionally. Twitter is an equally important tool - follow your mentors, role models and companies you want to work for. I wasn't sure I wanted a Twitter account because I didn't want to juggle too many websites, but I did because of all the great things I heard about it and now I'm a believer, happily tweeting away! Remember, while it's important to know people, it's probably more important that they know you. Also, be genuine. If you don't like networking, it will show, and nobody wants to talk to someone who is not interested/interesting.

Step outside the box.

Be creative. In today's competitive job market, companies are flooded with resumes within minutes of an advertised vacancy and you need to know how to stand out - in a good way. Be willing to go out of your way to get the job. Don't just plop your resume on a pile at the job fair. Instead wait - even if it's over an hour - to meet the company rep and get a few minutes of their time to tell them why you would be a good fit.

Preparation!
On that note, it's important to prepare ahead of time. It isn't enough to just get to meet the employer. You need to research the company, know what their goals and objectives are, learn what they expect from employees and apply it to your skill set. Explain to them what you can do for them. Preparation goes a long way, improvisation doesn't always work.

Be a problem-solver
Do your research and look at how you can make the company (you want to work for) better. Maybe have a PowerPoint presentation on the problems you found and what you could do in your position to solve them. Even if the solutions do not fall under the responsibilities you are interviewing for, it will get you noticed if you talk about them. it means you have vision and are willing to genuinely improve the company. If I were hiring, I would like that in an employee - just saying.

Fine-tune your resume and match your skills.
If the job description calls for a "market researcher", include the words conducted market research etc.etc - provided this is true. Employers don't have the time to read between the lines and key words like that should stand out to them.

Hopefully these tips will come in handy for you. Good luck on your job search!

(Images from Google)