Career Hunting Tips

I’m really a little wary of posting my resume online. Of course, job search sites usually take precautions against online identity theft of their clients. But the best way to safeguard your personal information is to do it yourself.

Give minimal contact information. Remove the standard contact information from your online resume. This means leaving your address, home phone numbers (unlisted numbers such as cell phone numbers may be included), business e-mail address, and your personal e-mail address.

Make use instead of a web-based e-mail address just as long as you do not create an account that sounds fun but bogus such as funnygirl@webbasedmail.com. Although you are trying to be safe, don’t be sorry and still put up a professional front.

Avoid specifics in your employment history. Change company names to general descriptions. It is very easy to do research on personal information nowadays because of internet access.

So do yourself a favor and keep your identity safe.

The first step in choosing a career is not browsing through the classifieds in the newspaper or the internet; it’s by sitting down in a quiet corner of your room with pen and paper in hand and think.

Do not ask yourself what you see yourself doing for the rest of your life. That’s too hard a question to answer. Many people in their forties are still trying to find their real calling in life. In finding a first career, focus on the here and now. List down what you know about yourself – interests, hobbies, interests, skills, knowledge, and talents. From there, you can gleam in with which field you would want to start.

Making career decisions can be challenging and sometimes graduates struggle to know where to begin. Looking at vacancies is a common starting point but not one that would be advised. Many vacancies are never advertised, so looking at job adverts will only ever give you a biased and partial picture of the graduate labour market.

If you are unsure which career will suit you, you would be better to spend some time thinking about yourself. Become better acquainted with yourself; be aware of your skills, interests and what motivates you. Consider any background issues or constraints, such as mobility, affecting your choice. Think about the skills you wish to use at work, your feelings about further study, which working environments appeal to you, the sort of lifestyle you want and so on.

Invest in yourself. This proves true for those on the hunt for a job or even for those who already have jobs but want to advance in their careers. Earn a masters degree or get certificates in short courses that are related to your career. Learn another language. Attend talks, seminars, and workshops. Improve your appearance. Enhance your existing skills. Be abreast with the latest news and trends in your field. In other words, do not stop learning. Your best tool for career advancement is always yourself like what you know and what tasks you are capable of doing. Right? Right!

One of the most effective ways to further your career is to have a reliable network of professional and corporate contacts, which you can now build online through LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a professional networking website that aims for its users to build their own network of professional contacts. This is especially effective since many companies (and their representatives) are starting to realize the importance of having an online presence, and are starting to use the many resources the internet has to offer.

You can build your own online portfolio through LinkedIn, which details your skills and qualifications as well through your LinkedIn profile. There is also a recommendation feature, where you can ask former colleagues or employers to recommend you if they feel you did a good job for them.

The current status of the employment market is quite alarming with unemployment at their lowest levels in 25 years with millions out of jobs. the alarming thing is that even with unemployment benefits people who have lost jobs are running out of options with their insurance drying up without them getting a new job. Desperation has many looking for jobs, any jobs and anybody who has not yet lost their jobs are under stress of being the next one on the chopping block. The best thing to do, even with unemployment insurance is to get down to looking for your next job without considering your back-up plan which should last till you get a job. Relying totally in your insurance may not be enough if you fail to find a new job for it does have its limits and it will run out. Settle for any jobs for the mean time so you don’t get too distanced to working and keep tabs on current trends so you know what jobs are in and what are out.

Well, the economy is one for the many firms declaring bankruptcy and mass lay-offs due to the ever dipping economy isn’t good at all. Next, you might be aiming too high for a first job, so take a step back and look at your strategy.
Career planning should begin with your first job though it is very difficult, but you’ll get there for sure. Don’t be discouraged by failure and try to use a failed application as a motivating factor. Sometimes tenacity and persistence can make a difference, enough to convince even the hardiest employers so make it show and take it up a notch. Show that you are willing to take a lesser job for the experience for many firms base hiring strategies on such details. Make yourself stand out from the rest (not too much), imagine the guy who asks a simple question and lands a job, that can be you in his shoes so prepare for battle.

Image source: www.mgacareerhunting.com

of course career hunting is not a joke because as i defined it you can consider a career if you enjoy it, love it, and you learn and grow with it. but if its not like that its only a work or jobs because you do it just to earn money for your personal use. In order to career hunt you must need the help of career counsellors because they might you by answering some of your questions and by giving also advice. career counsellor can help you on your discerning period because they because they will guide you step by step. and of course you also need to take career test because thru this method (whether qualitative or quantitative). you can also clearly seen the career that fits you. like in the philippines all graduating highschool student are required to get this career test to help them which course to take on college.

Before you send out your resumes, don’t forget to keep a record of all your applications and make a copy of all the cover letters you will send. If you receive a response in the form of a call or a letter/e-mail from a company, note details such as the date and time the call was made, the person whom you talked to, and what the call was about. Paperclip or staple the notes to the appropriate cover letter. Keep everything on archive even after you have already fond yourself a job. These may seem too strict for you, but companies keep resumes sent to them for future references. Why not do the same practice, right?

Conducting interviews is beneficial to a company since this is the most immediate way of knowing how capable a candidate may be. Interviews gauge the applicant’s personality, and make you foresee how that candidate could help your company. Sometimes, managers feel a little uncomfortable interviewing a candidate. Read on for some practical tips to make the interview process smoother.

Prep up the candidate by reviewing him the job descriptions. Giving the interviewee an idea of what he’s going to expect could be a good starting point. Asking about his skills, personality, and work ethics is better than using the usual tell-me-about-yourself question. It would make your interview like an outdated autograph book. Ask him open-ended practical questions that would make the applicant point out his skills or traits. Avoid asking questions which might have formulated answers from job sites. This counteracts the main purpose of the interview, which is to test the candidate’s knowledge and skills.