Lesson 2: Do These Things When You’re Looking for a Job

Looking for a job is not easy. We have all been without work at some point in our lives. You may be feeling lost and maybe confused as there is no set algorithm that guarantees you the job. Some of you may even argue that you have the skills and the enthusiasm, yet you are still not getting the job. The rest of you agree… but maybe you just don’t have the 10 years of experience required by the job advertisement.

Experience in a certain field should not be the number one thing that stops you from applying for a position. As you know, experience is learnt and soon someone will give you the chance to learn the skills and knowledge that you need to command your own workforce.

The question is do you have the fight? As we learnt a couple weeks ago most job seekers give up looking for their dream job after 5 months. We want you to fight and not give up when the going gets tough. As you have a dream…be it a Food Wizard, a Friday Girl, a Chief Marine Engineer, a Mad Scientist, a New Media Lawyer or maybe even a Tax Collector. We want you to live the dream.

Last week, in Lesson 1 we taught you the art of writing a CV, we inspired you not to give up and we gave you the tips in being memorable. In Lesson 2, you will learn ways to make it easy for you to be hired, you will also learn the mastery of networking and finally you will realise that with a positive attitude anything is possible!

Read the below helpful hints:

4. Make It Easy To Hire You: The person that is trying to hire you is probably trying to fill an empty position and that means that he or she is probably completely frazzled. The easier you make that person’s job, the more likely it is that you are going to get the position that you want. This starts with your application. Make sure that you complete all of the requested application materials, following any special instructions made available to you. If an ad says to send your CV in the body of an e-mail, don’t send it as an attachment or forward links to your online portfolio. Also, be sure that you provide all methods of contacting you (Instant Messaging, e-mail address, phone number, address, etc) in a clear and concise manner so that if the hiring individual wants to contact you, the information to do so is right at their fingertips. When you go to job interviews, take a fresh copy of your CV with your contact information. Attach your business card. Sure, the employer already has these things but putting them right in his or her hand makes it easier for that person and that’s your goal. Take an organized list of questions that you would like to ask and be sure to ask them in a timely fashion. Take your own pen and notebook. In other words, ask as little as possible from your potential employer and do as much as you can for him or her. It will be appreciated and that appreciation could land you the job.

5. Network: The job search can be a frustrating one and if it isn’t going well, you might start to get a bit depressed. You don’t want to leave the house as much as you used to because you don’t have the money to spend on going out and you don’t feel like you have anything to contribute to the conversation anyway since everyone else is talking about their work. But very few people get offered a new job when they are just sitting in their homes. You can probably afford a cup of coffee or you can at least do your online job searching from the local library. Putting yourself out around people puts you in the path of those who might be hiring. Introduce yourself to people (appropriately), bring up what you do in conversation and hand out your business card liberally. It is even a good idea for you to introduce yourself to a prospective employer by using Linkedin. You never know when the guy from the coffee shop or a decision maker on Linkedin might know someone who needs you as an employee.

6. The Key Is: To have a positive attitude about getting a new job. Make sure you write every job application and go into every interview with an optimistic ‘I can” attitude. Once your attitude is right you will be in the right mindset to bring about change in your life! Together with all the other tools you have learnt in this series, you will now be equipped with the knowledge to impress your future boss. Just remember when things aren’t going right for you, clear your mind and analyse your approach.In re-examining your approach, this maybe the change you need to make sure that you get that job!

Job Mail wants you to get your dream job… so stay tuned for more inspirational tips that could increase the likelihood of you getting you that dream job!