Being unemployed is depressing whether you are fresh out of college or a seasoned worker. Especially in this economy, you need all the help you can get finding a job. The following article is full of useful tips that can help you finally land a job and get your life in order.
Do what you are told to do as quickly and well as you can. Anytime that you are charged with a special task it is an opportunity to show off your skills and please your boss. Do those tasks first, of course, without neglecting you regular responsibilities. Show your boss that you manage your work load well.
After you are done with your interview, be sure to send a thank you letter to the person who interviewed you. This not only is an act of graciousness, but also shows that you are following up in a professional manner. This will make a great first impression if you did not make one already.
After you go on your interview, make sure that you follow-up on the status. This means that you should send emails to the company asking whether or not a decision has been made on your employment. This shows that you are persistent, which is a quality that companies love in employees.
Take good care of yourself so that you remain as healthy as possible. People that use all of their sick days are frowned upon and are usually passed up when it comes to promotions. Take control of the situation by eating a well-balanced diet and using proper hygiene. Your career depends on it.
Update your resume. You should always keep your resume current, even when you are not on the hunt for a job. You never know when an opportunity may present itself, so have a copy of your resume ready and available. It will also be easier to keep track of previous employment when you don’t have to track down each bit of info as you need it.
Don’t lie on your resume about your skill sets. You may feel like you need to stretch the truth to open doors, but more often than not your lack of the skills, in reality, will be found out pretty easily by a savvy interviewer. Instead, teach yourself the skills you need to know to make you more attractive to hiring companies.
Plan your career, to some extent. The more that you plan the more likely it is that you will reach your goals. You cannot just let your career happen to you; you have to make your career happen. Include anything you need to do to get ahead in your plan and watch how fast you climb the ladder.
Network, network, network! When looking for a job use all of your resources, including both business and personal contacts. Connect with anyone that is in the field you are in and use resources like LinkedIn to find other contacts, too. Submitting your resume and application via an inside track gives you an edge over the many people who submit via the standard practice.
Always bring a list of references with you to a job interview. Make sure the information is up to date and that your references are expecting to be called. You need three references typically, so don’t list more than that. Include people who have been your superior, co-workers or even co-volunteers, if you must.
Eye contact is one of the more important things to focus on as the interview in progress. When you make eye contact with your interviewer, it shows that you are not only paying attention to them but are confident as well. These attributes are important to companies for hiring purposes.
As an older job seeker, you should pick and choose which skills to list. Keep up with recent technology and be sure to list those skills. Leave off older skills such as working an adding machine or carbon copy credit card machine. These things don’t matter, and you might end up spending an inordinate amount of your interview time explaining them to your potential teenage supervisor.
When you lose your job, you may think you have to find one in the same field. Why? Instead, consider what else you’d love to do. If you already have the skills from a hobby or experience, even better! If not, could you go back to school to get what you need?
Know the name of the person you are sending your resume to. Don’t simply put “to whom it may concern”. That shows lazy thinking. It is much better to call the company and ask them who is going to be receiving your resume. This little touch can be what gets you that interview.
It’s no fun being unemployed; days go by with bills piling up and you feel less and less useful. Use the above tips to reorganize your employment strategy and get back into the working world. It will take time and effort, but eventually your efforts will finally pay off for you.
