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Job
Search Tips:
Passion
essential to
landing that
dream job:
Now
could be the
time to land
your dream job.
But first you
have to know
where to look
and what to look
for.
Our
parents were
told that you
went to school
and then you
made a career
choice, and that
was it. And for
generations, a
Canadian worker
could expect to
be hired and
retired by the
same employer.
But the economy
-- not to
mention
individuals'
attention spans
and expectations
-- has changed.
Today, someone
will go job
hunting at least
eight times in
his or her life,
writes Richard
Bolles in his
classic
career-seekers
guide,
"What Color
Is Your
Parachute?"
How to discover
a passion that
pays? There's
little mystery
here, experts
agree. You have
to be honest
with yourself --
about your
skills, what you
like to do and
(most important)
what you don't
like to do.
Susan W. Miller,
founder of
California
Career Services,
asks employed
clients a
seemingly simple
question: When
you're having a
good day at
work, what
exactly are you
doing? Among all
the things that
you do every day
at work, what do
you do best?
Toughest
Interview
Question:
"So, tell
me about
yourself."
What is it about
this question
that causes so
much trouble and
strikes fear
into the hearts
of otherwise
competent
interviewees?
Simple: it's a
big open-ended
question, the
first question,
and not many
candidates think
to prepare for
it... so they
wing it. Please,
everyone, read
my lips: you can
not afford to
wing this
question! The
interview is on
and they are
listening! Here
are some great
DOs and DON'Ts
to answer the
question:
- DON'T
wing it ...
prepare for
it and
practice it
- DON'T
just list a
boring
chronology
of your work
history
- DON'T
use your
elevator
speech
(30-second
commercial),
it should
sound
spontaneous,
not
rehearsed
- DO
summarize
your work
history or
expertise
- DO
mention any
relevant
credentials
or education
- DO
highlight
some special
qualifications
or value you
bring
- DO
keep it to
about 20-30
seconds max
(you can
always ask
if that
answers the
question at
the end)
Think
about it this
way...if you had
only 20-30
seconds to
impress someone
of your
suitability,
what might you
say about
yourself? Jot
down some ideas,
practice
articulating it
so that it
sounds natural,
and you'll be
all set to start
the interview
well and make a
great first
impression.
Three
quick job search
tips
First:
Create your own
momentum,
"The Big
Mo" -- you
hear about it
all the time in
sports. Teams
with momentum
get on a roll,
score-more often
and win more
games than teams
without it. If
your job search
is stuck, you
can create your
own momentum and
move toward the
position you
want by starting
each day with a
victory of some
sort, no matter
how small.
Second:
Ask for help,
listen -- and
act! Question:
How many people
have you asked
this month for
advice about
your job search?
If you're
absolutely
honest in your
answer, the
number will be
small. Too
small. Why put
all the pressure
on yourself to
find all the
employment
answers? Why not
ask and discover
what's worked
for other
people? Stop
trying to figure
it all out on
your own.
Instead, start
multiplying your
brainpower by
asking others
for advice.
Third:
Know that change
is your friend.
According to the
Bureau of Labor,
voluntary
employee
turnover was
20.20% in 2004,
the most recent
year available.
This means that
on average about
one in five
employees quit
their jobs every
12 months. What
does that mean
for you? In a
company with 100
employees,
approximately 20
of them will
quit within the
next year. So,
don't despair.
Keep in regular
touch with the
companies you
want to work
for, because
it's only a
matter of time
until something
opens up for
you.
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