Employment Tips

With the demands of a saturated job market, it’s important to establish a structured job search in order to land the job of your dreams. Here are various ways to help you narrow down your search and bag the job you’ve always wanted in no time at all!

Get In The Zone

First, you need to have the right mindset as you prepare yourself for getting out there and landing a job. You want to adopt the mindset that looking for a job is a full time job. You want to apply yourself if you want results but you need to apply yourself thickly because for most people, the job of their dreams don’t necessarily land on their laps, they look for it earnestly and grab the opportunity before its gone.

Be Informed

Being unemployed meant having all the time in the world to do whatever you want. Make sure you spent your time wisely and productively by checking out all the trends and issues surrounding the industry you are in or will be in. Don’t get left behind, you want to get an idea what you can expect once you join the workforce.

Start Networking

Networking is not limited to marketers at all. The advent of Web 2.0 paved the way for social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook and as a job seeker; you want to get as much help as you can to spread the word about your cause, in this case, finding a great job. LinkedIn is an excellent social networking site to start off because it caters to professionals seeking to widen their networks. It’s a fantastic place to look for job openings or introducing yourself to people who might be able to help you find the job you want.

Join Member Groups

One of the best ways to add “gravitas” to your credentials is to join certain member groups, membership organizations or any other relevant trade associations that are related to your industry. This is a great way to rub shoulders with industry leaders, connect with fellow members and hopefully, build connections that may pave the way for landing a great job.

Follow Up On Current Applications

Most jobseekers tend to jump at a chance for a new opening but never really following up on their application after they’ve sent their resume and they never hear from the company again. Often times, this is mostly because the position might not have been the best fit for your skills. However, if you take time to make that call, treat the hiring manager or human resources personnel right, you are bound to make a great impression and may be considered for future job openings.

Tweak Your Resume

Creating flexibility in your job search will require creative ways to showcase your skill set. Always update your resume regularly or better yet, use different versions of your resume. Do note that it will take time before you see the desired results but creating standout resumes is the first step towards bagging the job.

Establishing structure, stability and listing achieving your goals during job seeking is understandably challenging. However, just keep the abovementioned tips in mind in order to boost productivity and improve your chances of finding the job that suits your skills and personality the best.

Traditionally, most companies tend to give education more value than experience. After all, a great educational background does look good on paper. However, as the job market becomes more competitive, some companies are slowly changing the way they assess a would-be employees qualifications for certain roles.

As a job-hunter, there is no real answer as to which is more important. Inevitably, it will depend on three things, the industry, the role and the individual himself. As a student, we were often taught that education is the key to better jobs. But certain tasks demands experience and specific skill set, hence, it’s not unusual for a number of companies to hire people who have specific experience that call for the job.

Education is defined as earning a tertiary study or a university degree. When fresh graduates lack the experience, they make up for good education and this is where education has its benefits. Why? Because it shows that you have deep understanding of specific areas of the job through your studies. It also shows that you have the capacity to dedicate yourself or apply yourself, which relates to being able to complete tasks in an office setting. Assuming that you earned your degree, it shows you have great understanding of your subjects, something that potential employers always value.

Certain professions do require a degree. These professions include white collar roles like doctors, lawyers, accountant, architects and economists.

On the other hand, there are a great number of jobs that do require extensive experience, but then, again, this will depend on the industry or the role you chose to take part in. These roles do not require certifications, accreditations, or degrees. Rather, they require training and development. For example, the IT or BPO industry is full of roles that base qualifications on experience.

There are many debates regarding which holds more value in an industry.But there is no clear answer to this because the job market is always evolving, always changing. As a would-be employee, it’s important to evolve yourself in order to remain competitive in your field of expertise.  It’s best to always keep an eye on the industry you are in and observe which direction it is taking.

To increase the chances of bagging the job you want, you will need to get a blend of both at some point in your career.  You can build a solid career if you complete a degree, gain experience as part of the work force and then work your way up to the corporate ladder. Additionally, it always pays to have a positive attitude, a strong work ethic and a higher level of professionalism to become an exceptional employee.

Sometimes, no matter how much you prepare for an interview, one tends to fall short of the desired standards during a job interview because he or she failed to give the right answers to certain questions. While there’s certainly no fail-safe way to ace an interview, we’ve listed down some of the most common reasons why applicants fail their interviews and how to avoid the usual pitfalls that come when answering job interview questions:

Showing Up Unprepared

This happens when an interviewer asks the applicant key information relating to their own field of study and the applicant couldn’t come up with a straight answer. Unfortunately, a lot of applicants tend to come to an interview unprepared, with little to no knowledge about certain information related to their field of study as well as important details pertaining to the company they are applying at. When you don’t come to an interview prepared, you give the impression that you are not capable to deliver an excellent performance if you are selected for the job opening.

Poor Communication Skills

Let’s face it, a person who is articulate, one who can express himself or herself in the most concise manner possible, tend to bag the job opening simply because they communicate well. Being grammatically correct while expressing your own insights, and being confident as well as enthusiastic about answering questions tend to reflect the applicant’s own capabilities as a future employee.

Lack of Confidence

One of the most common reasons why job interviewees fail an interview is they lack the confidence to answer questions, often stumbling all over themselves because they are confused with the questions. An interviewer tends to check a person’s confidence by posing complementary questions and then gauging the confidence level and firmness in opinion from how the applicant answered the questions. A confident applicant gives off the vibe that he or she is willing to take bold steps in order to contribute to the company, if hired for the job. If you feel that you lack the confidence to answer questions, practicing in front of the mirrors during mock interviews helps minimize pre-interview jitters, improve one’s self confidence and communication skills.

Failing To Look Presentable

How you look tend to translate to how you feel. If you show up to an interview in shabby, wrinkly clothes, it gives the impression that you came to the interview unprepared or you have total disregard of how you present yourself to other people. Worst, if you come in clothes that are against the dress code, it gives the impression that you are arrogant, you can’t follow simple rules or you are unprofessional. You are going for great impression so dress the part. Ideally, choose a solid-colored long-sleeves shirt, paired with a nice pair of trousers and classic black shoes.

Attending job interviews is no doubt a nerve-wracking experience, particularly for applicants going through it for the first time. However, by following the dress code, being enthusiastic and confident does a world of good for many applicants. Just make sure to void the job interview no-no’s listed above and you should be all set for a successful interview.