Seeking work has gotten very complicated and competitive given our present economic distress. Right now it’s a good time to review some tips on how to find a job.
The bad economy is driving people to unemployment in record numbers. If you are reading this and are currently unemployed, now is the time to do something! Those unemployment checks won't last forever!
Here’s the kicker though. The more valuable you are as an employee, the more likely you are to be employed or retained. That’s only common sense! How do you land a job though, when you are highly qualified and a good employee, but there aren’t any jobs to be found?
You know what they say? Desperate times call for desperate measures! With the weakest job market the US has seen since the 80’s, some unemployed Americans have invented ways to sell themselves. In order to succeed when you are seeking work, you will have to think outside the box and possibly reinvent yourself!
Many people are still finding work, so it is feasible! The only limits humans have are the limits we set for ourselves. Get inventive and do something totally bizarre if you have too! Draw on your imagination and do whatever it takes to get the attention you so duly deserve!
All people are valuable and that point should be remembered! OK, maybe I lied just a little bit. You have to remember this: However valuable you may be to your family and friends, that doesn’t mean you're going to be valuable to an employer.
Not every person is a good investment, which is how employers view each potential applicant. It depends on what you’ve put into your past employment record, but it also depends on how you approach getting and holding a job in tough times. What’s worked when you were seeking work in the past might not be enough to land one now.
There are a lot of things you can go to get the ball rolling into your court. All employers need employees who provide value. Those who provide the most value are the least likely to be cut in a downsizing, and the most likely to receive raises and promotions, because management will want to keep them around. Versatility is another great virtue when you’re seeking work. Your boss may need you to do a plethora of tasks, and you had better be up for the challenge!
The really successful and valuable employees are always trying to make themselves indispensable. Here are a few tips to become employed and be the irreplaceable employee.
Tips for Seeking Work
Think outside the box! Jason Fruen, 39, and the father of one, stood four hours at a busy intersection wearing a sandwich board, and he received a job interview that very day. When the job didn’t pan out, he wore it again and landed another interview and job.
When you're hunting for a job, keep in mind that unorthodox methods do work. Not only did this guy have the guts to try out his idea, but he also encountered hiring managers who were willing to take his efforts seriously.
Wearing a sandwich board on a highway isn't the most reliable way to land a job, but this guy found news ways of seeking work and set himself apart from the thousands of other new MBA's fresh out of school. In a competitive job market, look for any opportunity, big or little, to give yourself an edge over the other applicants seeking work.
Set your ego aside. You may have a law degree, but if no one’s hiring lawyers, (fat chance of that right?), then you may need to lower your expectations.
Don’t let entitlement get in the way. Many of you might not know this about me, but I have another job besides this web site. I work in the printing industry with a good friend. We recently let our printer go and are doing most of the printing ourselves now. Why did we fire our printer?
Because he never listened, he always talked back, and he acted like he was master of our domain all the time, when the business wasn’t even his! His sense of entitlement led him to make seriously bad decisions about his behavior. No one owes you anything! Get that thought out of your head before you apply for any job!
Upgrade your appearance. Buy a new suit or dress. Shine your shoes and look neat when you are seeking employment. Wear contact lenses if you have them and consider a haircut or coloring your hair, if your gray hair is showing. If you smoke, make sure there's not a noticeable smell when you go in for an interview.
You can have the best resume in the world, but in this world, it's appearance that often makes or breaks the deal. That's just reality.
Besides wearing a sandwich board, you can market yourself in other ways. One lady posted her resume on her T-shirt and landed a job. Another way to market yourself is to put signage on your vehicle that states you're seeking work. Remember to include your phone number.
Consider a career change, job training, knocking on doors, or calling on executives directly.
Use social networking sites like Facebook.com or Myspace.com extensively if you are seeking work. Having a web page on each site can increase your networking and perhaps can lead to a job offer.
Who you know maybe more important than you think! Let your friends and family members know you’re looking for work and will ‘take anything’.
Go seasonal! Sometimes a job is just a county away. Do you live near counties that have seasonal jobs available? Find them!
If want to succeed at what you do, go where potential customers are going. If you are thinking about starting a business instead of working for a boss, you may have to sell stuff to survive. You may even have to learn some new skill really quickly or learn how to hustle!
You know the old adage? You've got to spend money to make money! If you have to pay someone to help you look for work, then so be it! Offer a few friends a few dollars to keep their eyes and ears open. There is another old saying; that money talks and bullshit crap walks.
About.com added 3 new job sites to their top 10 Employment site list. If I got fired or was seeking work, I would use them!
Tailor your skills and resume to sell yourself for each individual employer. All jobs are different. A one size fits all resume can kill an opportunity before you even walk through a door. Make sure you change it up to suit the job your applying for!
The power to overcome the recession might only be a prayer away. Seeking work isn't always about what ya know, sometimes it's about who ya know! Let’s pray that decision-makers have the courage and commonsense to correct the global recession. Let’s pray for those who are suffering. People praying together can change the world. Praying for help when you're seeking work is something everyone can do, and it's free!
In some instances, smaller and the medium size companies maybe less likely to let people go during tough times. They tend to be more flexible and may want to change their day to day operation in order to stay ahead of the competition.
Craigs List is a great place to post your job qualifications and look for work opportunities in your area. (or outside your area) You are only restricted by time! To see all the postings on this site, you'll need lots of it!
Try USA Jobs.gov. It's a website operated by the United States Office of Personnel Management. If you have the experience, you can apply for work at the Department of Defense or the Veterans Administration. It'll take a few weeks to hear from them though.
Guru.com is an option if you know anything about marketing or software building as well as virtual consulting services, operations manager mentoring, general business counsel, and global consultants. You could at least post an article to get started and see if any takers are there.
Get organized! Do you have a knack for organizing a garage or closet? If so, you may know more than you think or have the organizational skills required of a top management position. Think about it. Organization is not a skill that most people are just born with. If you have organizational skills, put them to good work. At least add them to your resume.
Have a very persistent attitude about seeking work. President Obama mentioned this recently. He promised to be very persistent! Well, maybe you don't like Obama, but that's beside the point. Persistence pays off!
Even when jobs are being sent overseas, domestic operations positions are still needed. The problem is that most positions are geared to maximize efficiency, when most companies are simply trying to cut costs. This trend is likely to turn around shortly once companies have completed cost-cutting measures. They will have to start rehiring in order to implement strategies (with a smaller workforce) to recreate efficiency. Bottom line? Don't give up and be persistent!
Commit yourself to constant improvement. Perfection isn’t necessary, but every organization and every individual can be better tomorrow than they are today. Summarize your work every week and think about what you could do improve it. Then do it.
Avoid gossip and drama at work. Every office has a Drama Queen/King who is constantly causing problems in and around the office. There's always that one person that has to be tiptoed around, while the boss is dreaming about how to effectively get rid of them. Don’t let it be you.
Pitch in. Look for areas where you can help your colleagues with their challenges. Do more than your share, especially the unpleasant tasks that no one wants to take on, (AKA, the dirty work). These type of odd jobs are present in every employment situation. Meet every new task as if your life depended on it!
Make the boss’s life easier. What skills that will solve a problem for your supervisor? Solving a couple of the boss’s problems every year will make you seem pretty indispensable.
Be the 'Go To' employee. If there’s a problem, make yourself an invaluable resource so other employees think of coming to you when they need help.
Keep a cheerful attitude. Sure, we all have personal problems, but try to leave those at home. A cheerful disposition is something everyone is envious of having! Most people don’t like to work with people who whine and complain all the time. Your boss doesn’t either.
Last but certainly not least, you should consider a job online! Working for someone else has its drawbacks as everyone knows. You too, can build a web site, just like this one, to generate income! Need proof that it works? It's how I have grocery money from month to month and like a fine wine, it only gets better with age. The sooner you start, the faster you'll be on your way to making an income and not be seeking work anymore!
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