Find A Job Opportunity Online!

Posted on November 20th, 2008

It’s true, the internet has opened new doors for finding jobs and careers, including full time and part time positions. Job search is incredibly easy compared to how it used to be, but that doesn’t mean securing a job is easier, as the competition has also increased. I can still remember when the only 3 methods for finding job opportunities were through publications, bricks and mortar agencies, and word by mouth. However, the later is still by far the best way to secure a position as it has the least competition, which is always a good thing.

The internet has really simplified our world these days and what used to take us countless hours, days, or even weeks to do, can now be achieved faster than a speeding bullet. This includes all kinds of stuff from shopping, researching, banking, bookings, and of course, jobs. With the tap of a few keys, it’s now possible to do a quick or detailed search on a website for all manner of work, in all kinds of places whether that be local, regional, national, or overseas.

But new research is coming out to suggest that job websites are becoming the victim of their own success. It use to be the case that an applicant would simply post his or her resume to a popular job website such as HotJobs.com then sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Well, if that’s how it used to be, it’s no longer the case. The main reason is because you are just one of tens or even hundreds of thousands of other hopefuls posting their resume to the same place. What employer would want to wade through so much material as they attempted to create a shortlist of potentials? The answer is practically none. So, there’s a good chance your carefully drafted resume and cover letter(s) could get lost in cyberspace forever.

The suggestion, therefore, is to seek out smaller less hi-profile job websites that specialize in the type of work you may be interested in. Or even advertise yourself as someone who is looking for work in many of the online free classified ads. One Chinese friend of mine who is a qualified teacher of the Cantonese language advertised her services on a Real Estate website in Hong Kong. As a result she gets on average 3 enquiries a day from local expats and at the time of writing has more work than she can cope with as a freelance tutor.

Another downside to chasing positions advertised on job websites is that as many as 75% have been recorded as generic postings from employment agencies. What this means is that they are not actual job openings but tasters as to what could be available. This forces the job seeker to contact the agency who may then encourage them to register with them. This is in the agencies best interest as they obviously take commissions from finding suitable employees for employers. The latest stats I’ve been able to retrieve showed that only 7-8% of job hunters actually found gainful employment directly through job websites.

So, although the internet really is a useful tool for finding employment, the secret is to think out of the box. Use it to locate companies. This way you can do a little research on them prior to submitting your application directly from their websites. Get networking and join a jobs forum where you will get up to the minute postings on real positions as they arrive. Get to know people whether it’s in the virtual world or the real, but preferably both. That old adage, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, is as strong today as it’s always been.

Remember to track your submission. Keep a spreadsheet of where you have applied to and the date. Opportunity will only knock if it knows who you are and where you are. Once you develop your own step by step procedure for finding and applying for jobs on the internet, simply rinse and repeat your methods and you’ll have them queuing up to offer you employment in no time at all.

Sam Junior is a proficient writer for the website Enoughjobs.com where he has pieces on The Highest Paying Jobs Around and Entertainment Industry Jobs. He also has other job related articles on the site.

Tags: applying for jobs, employee, employer, employment agencies, finding jobs, job search, job websites, work
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Your Salary: What Are You Worth?

Posted on September 11th, 2008

Why is it a good idea to determine your worth? Whether you plan to stay at your current job or seek employment elsewhere, your assessment of your worth can become a bargaining chip should you choose to negotiate for higher compensation. Its a reference point on your way to improving not only your standard of living but your sense of self as well.

There are many ways youre worth is determined for a particular job. One way is to look at your current earnings. That will at least tell you how your boss or company views your worth. Another way is to find out what the average job salaries are for people performing the same functions as you. Still another approach is to use a salary calculator to look at a salary comparison based on several factors including industry, geography and of course the level of the position itself. If you are interested in that approach, salary.com has a neat formula for calculating salary. You can go to their site for more information: http://www.salary.com/home/layoutscripts/homldisplay.asp

If you want to make a lot of money, I suggest you look to your true worth. In most cases, your true worth is far greater than your current compensation. Your worth can be defined by what you bring to the table that is unique and valuable. Look at the skills, strengths, core competencies, marketable assets and accomplishments you can declare as your own. This is what describes your uniqueness. It is what differentiates you from the crowd.

Keep in mind that no other person possesses these same unique gifts. The things in life that are rare tend to be worth more than those things that are bountiful in nature. Extending this concept further, the rarest thing is a one-of-a-kind, which is priceless. There is nothing else like it. Have I just described you?

Having said that, what number would best describe your worth? Once you have arrived at a number, communicate this with your spouse or best friend for validation. You may be surprised by their response.

Salary negotiations based on your true worth take on a whole new dimension. No, you probably wont be compensated one million dollars; however, I have seen twenty to forty thousand dollars added to starting compensation through aggressive negotiations. It is common to negotiate signing bonuses, stipulations calling for substantial six-month performance-based increases, several weeks of additional vacation time and many other perks.

You have probably worked very hard to come to this point, so why stop short of getting what you truly want, and deserve. Wouldnt you rather be compensated on the basis of what youre worth than on some arbitrary figure designed to keep the status quo? Remember, what you receive now becomes your benchmark for future positions. Go for what you are worth your life will never be the same!

Copyright 2005 TopDog Group All rights reserved.

David Richter is a recognized authority in career coaching and job search support. He has spent many years in recruitment, staffing, outplacement, counseling psychology and career management spanning most industries and professions. David founded TopDog Group in response to the needs of job candidates to have a higher quality of career coaching and support available on the Internet. David understands the mechanisms for success. He has formulated specific strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. His extensive knowledge and experience sets David apart in this field, allowing him to offer a wealth of information and a vast array of tools, resources and strategies not found anywhere else. He has shown countless job seekers how to differentiate themselves and leverage their potential to the highest possible level, making a real difference in their careers. David holds both a Bachelors and Masters in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. David’s website address is: http://www.procareercoach.com

Tags: average job salaries, job search, salary calculator, salary comparison
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Strategies For An Effective Job Search To Get You The Job Or Career You Want

Posted on September 4th, 2008

At this point you have posted your resume online and even applies for a few of the positions you have seen listed. You are also scouring the online classifieds postings as well as the newspaper classified ads. You have of course been sending off cover letters and resumes by email, fax and snail mail for the entire job opening that seem appropriate for you.

Is there anything else that you can do to look for that job you wish? You bet! In fact, the more diverse and wide spread your job hunting strategies, the more effective it is likely to be.

First you should contact the professional organizations in your chosen field or wide scope of employment area.

National. Regional and local professional organizations exist in a great part to help their members with career development as well as employment search. Many of these organizations include field specific job listings on their web sites or in their printed publications. Check out the career contact and alumni network which is composed of alumni, employers, students as well as friends and patrons of the organization who have offered to share their career experiences with alumni and students.

Next Visit Company and organization web sites.

Many companies and organizations post their job openings right on their websites. Often it is the Employment or Career Opportunities Links. If it doubt check the site map. Or as another resort actually contact the webmaster of the site.

A more direct tack is to apply directly to the organizations that actually interest you. What a compliment it is for a firm for an applicant to be able to appreciate their hard work and focus. You can send a well written cover letter directly to the human resources department or even the direct person who is most likely to initiate hiring decisions. Your research skills may be necessary to find that vital information. The entire better to demonstrate your research skills which are actually hard to come by and very valued by many current employers.

Networking is key to effective job hunting strategies.

It is often said that close to 85 % of jobs are filled through networking. Talk to your contacts. Always remember when one door closes often another opens. You never know where even a failed interview will lead.

The one contact you make there or in your research travels can easily lead to another contact. Sometimes even name dropping can have great results so says Layton Mancin an expert in the field.

Make a list of contacts you know in the field.

You most likely know lots of people or know people who do.

Sit down with them. Take them for lunch coffee or a donut. But do it sincerely not like an aggressive insurance salesman.

If there is a professional organization in your field, join it and start participating in its meetings and other events so that you can get to know people in your area of interest ? Work with a career counselor at your college or school to both tap his or her contacts and learn of alumni who might be willing and able to lend you a hand. Do not forget your supervisors or instructors connections as well.

You can consider using either a placement agency or recruitment agent now often called a headhunter. It is often very expensive for companies to conduct hiring.

Companies incur not unsubstancial costs as well as time to research, screen, conduct initial interviews as well as travel and hosting costs. As well they may not want to make to known that they are hiring either to their industry or employees including the one that they are planning on replacing. For these reasons as well as the fact that the management of the firms may already be short of time many progressive firms will employ the services of headhunters.

You can avail yourself of the services of these headhunters or placement organizations.

You can do an initial search in your local phonebook. Follow this up with contacts in your networks and at professional organizations. It is amazing how helpful people can be with a simple phone call with well prepared specific questions. As well as the posting that are prominent in local, national and industry newspapers and publications.

Note that most of the firms are paid by the employers. They are generally paid a percentage of your projected earnings. Basically they are paid on a commission basi sothat they have a vested interest in placing you. Often these firms are even paid a percentage of projected future bonuses or in the case of sales projected commissions However be very wary headhunting firms that try to charge you fees or send you on courses supplied by their very firm or a sister company. As said many good employers use reputable head hunters and consider the money they spend as very good value and an ultimate saving of both money and time

Lastly consider a temporary or fill in job and the firm of your choice. You will make valuable contacts. Perhaps even the firm will consider you such a valuable addition to their organization that they will determine it is best to continue to have you around as you are an asset to their organization.

Remember the more diverse and planned your job hunting methods are the more opportunities and ultimately the greater the chances you will have of landing that job and that career you really want.

William Piker
Senior Job Placement and Employment Advisor.
Experience in the financial field.
Ace Employment Agency
http://www.winnipegjobshark.com http://www.aceemploymentservices.net

Tags: , career, employment, headhunter, job, job hunting, job search, resume, search
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Online Resume Not Generating Any Calls?

Posted on August 31st, 2008

Want to get your online resum noticed and have employers picking up the phone and calling you? Then forget how pretty your resum is. What really matters is how your resum scores on a search. Most resums today go straight to a computer tracking system that saves online resums in the company database allowing for later searches. A computer will score your resum by the number of keywords or buzzwords that the employer will find most relevant to their needs. If you don’t account for this, you’ll just sit waiting by the phone for the call that never comes.

Keywords, Keywords, and More Keywords

The magic is in the keywords and how and where you can use them. Focus on the keywords most likely to be used by a human resources person or recruiter doing the resum search for a particular job requirement. The greater the number of relevant keywords, the higher relevancy score your online resum will receive.

Let’s look at the four major keyword areas you need to account for in an online resum that will get an employer to pick up the phone and call you:

1. Keywords Competencies:

A.) List this section at the beginning of your resum to introduce your skill sets from an interviewing standpoint.

B.) Include no more than 75 keywords. List as many relevant, searchable keywords that describe your potential job title, technical skills, management or organizational skills, relevant software and/or mechanical abilities and expertise as you can. Include anything that might be important to the particular job.

For example, if you were a Java Programmer, your Keyword Competencies section might look like this:

Java, Visual C , perl, ticl, application development, visual basic, Windows NT/XP, programming, GUI, html, project management, layer 2, BSEE, etc.

2. Job Description: Include every title that may pertain to your duties and function. For example, if your official title is Member of Technical Staff, other companies may call that a Software Engineer, Software Developer, or even a Programmer. Take this into account when you write your resum for online use. The computer doesn’t care as long as you have all your bases covered for whatever human-based search may arise.

3. Objective: Once again, keep it limited to specific keywords when you identify your present and/or aspiring job title with an added major skill or function (such as project management, mergers and acquisitions, electronic design, product verification, quality control, etc).

4. Past Experience: Many searches are performed in the interest of finding people who have worked for or with certain companies. This can mean not only working as an employee, but also having worked with their products or with them as a client or vendor. Be sure to list all the major companies with whom you have had connection. This includes experience with their tools or products or your roles as either a vendor or a customer.

Summary

The bottom line is not how pretty your resum looks. The most important element is to cover all the possible keywords that an employer will be searching for. There’s potential gold in your background and you want to make certain that it is brought to the surface. Keywords are truly powerful for this.

Joe Turner, the Job Search Guy, makes it easy to quickly land that next job. Click here for your Free 6-part Recruiter Secrets Minicourse.

Tags: job search
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Online Job Search Techniques

Posted on August 19th, 2008

There’re many ways to conduct online job search. However, many job seekers only think of posting resumes and searching opportunities on big job sites like monster.com, hotjobs.com, and careerbuilder.com etc. There’s nothing wrong with it, but according to a survey conducted by careerXrooads.com, of all hires in 2002, only 3.6% come from monster.com, 1.5% come careerbuilder.com, and 0.5% come from hotjobs.com. Morever, many companies only advertise their job openings on their own company websites and some other speciality websites. Wouldn’t it be nice if you can use search engines to find these opportunities that are ignored by other job seekers?

Before we go any further of how to conduct online job search, I would like to talk a little bit about Boolean Logic. If you are a math or a computer student, you may have already known it. Actually, it’s very powerful, yet simple to use in search engines. The following are some of the most popular Boolean operators, modifiers and field search commands.

Now, let’s say you’re a pharmacist and is looking for a new job in boston area. So you can go to www.altavista.com and conduct online job search using the following string:

url:job AND pharmacist AND contact AND position AND boston

If you use www.google.com, you don’t need to type in AND since it’s default operator in Google. So you can just use:

inurl:job pharmacist contact position boston

Now look at some more complicated online job search examples:

(url:(job* OR opening* OR position* OR employ*) OR title:(job* OR opening* OR position* OR employ*)) AND send AND benefits AND opening AND EOE AND contact AND SAS programmer AND boston

(resumes@ OR jobs@ OR careers@ OR hr@ OR human resources) AND (apply OR send us OR send your OR submit OR fax us OR fax your) AND (organic chemist OR medicinal chemist) AND (synthesis OR synthesize)

Now you see the power of online job search? Try different key word combinations and use them in different search engines. Some links you find might be junk links, but keep trying, as long as you pick up right key word combination, you should be able to find many job opportunities that are buried in deep deep web and are ignored by other job seekers.

Happy searching.

Yulin Peng is a recruiting researcher and the founder of http://www.job-employment-guide.com The website provides employment guide to job seekers and recruiting research services to recruiters.

Tags: , job search, online job search
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Five Signs You’re In The Wrong Job

Posted on August 19th, 2008

You struggle through the day, dealing with multiple tasks, answering phones, needing to be on top of every detail of your demanding job. And then you go home drained, throw a Lean Cuisine into the microwave, flop down on the couch and eat supper in front of a Law and Order rerun.

Maybe you’re in the wrong job. Here are some warning signs:

1. Your coworkers file quietly into the office at ten minutes of eight. They deposit their Starbucks cups on the desk, open their Day Planners, and silently get to work. Meanwhile, you’re in the doorway of the employee’s lounge, gazing down the corridor, thinking how the industrial carpeting on the floor would be perfect for Rollerblading.

Rigid structure is not your bag. You need work that provides some freedom of movement, some scheduling flexibility. If you’re actually coordinated enough to Rollerblade without ending up in a cast, you might consider being a trainer at the local gym. If not, sales or customer service that requires travel to clients’ worksites would allow you to schedule your own day and enjoy being on the road as you make your way to your various appointments.

2. The vice president in charge of finance hands you a twenty-page proposal, complete with columns and columns of figures. He asks you to proofread it, and by the way, he needs it in half an hour. He walks away, and you stare at the clock, then the proposal, then the paper shredder sitting right next to you. You look at the clock, the proposal, the paper shredder, the proposal, the paper shredder.

Obsessive attention to detail is not your idea of a good time. Maybe you need something that involves more creativity, more input from yourself. If you have an artistic flair, computer graphic design is something you might want to try. While its does require an orientation to detail, it also feeds that creative part of your soul.

3. Your least favorite sales manager asks you to type a letter for him - for the tenth time that day. He types it up himself on his computer, prints it out, erases the original, and hands the printout to you to type. You excuse yourself, run to the ladies’ room, stick your head in the trash basket and yell, Do it yourself!

You do not enjoy the ’support staff’ role. You need to find a job where you can be in charge; looking for a supervisory position, or a job that leads to a supervisory position, could be perfect for you.

4. You’ve been studying Microsoft Office for months. Now you’re busy creating a whiz-bang Excel spreadsheet so your boss can track expenses for each department. Then the phone rings.as the receptionist you field phone calls, connect the callers to one of fifty managers, type letters, file correspondence, total up expense slips - and bite your nails ’til they’re nubs.

You hate multitasking! To you multitasking means doing a lot of stuff adequately, rather than one thing superbly. You’ve got the skills, now you need the right job. Find something that utilizes your expertise in Excel, rather than juggling dozens of tasks at a time.

5. You’re a supervisor, busy training a new worker. Subordinates come up to you every few minutes, asking questions you think they could solve themselves. You love the training aspect of your job, just not the interruptions.

You’re a teacher at heart. There are lots of business schools, computer classes, even high schools and colleges that need someone with business acumen. Consider becoming a teacher or a business trainer, and focus on the needs of your students full time.

You might be surprised to find that the skills you’ve developed in your current job could lead to something better, and more in tune with your personality. With a little tweeking of your job skills and priorities, you might just find the perfect job! Additionally, take the time to check out how employers are looking at future prospects and what employee assessment tools they may be using during the hiring process.

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and Topics. She has published numerous articles in local and regional publications on a wide range of topics, including business, education, the arts, and local events. Her feature articles include an interview with independent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.

Tags: job search, perfect job
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Online Job Search Good Manners Get You Hired Fast

Posted on August 17th, 2008

Certain digital protocols influence the outcome of a modern job search. Since the exchange of vital hiring information is often performed using online and other digital communication devices, its more important today than ever before that a serious job seeker use good digital manners known as netiquette to adhere to the norms of courtesy that have become expected by employers and other workers who routinely process many job seekers.

Good manners are almost always appreciated, especially in the faceless world of digital communication. As you conduct your job search in the digital realm, it’s important to begin and end each communication with polite good manners, as if you were writing a personal letter which is exactly what you are doing! Emails, text messages, web page forms, online chat sessions, such job related communications are often swift exchanges, so there is little effort to be detailed. Short, to the point responses prevail. In such a digital realm a quick email reply to a potential employer, or text comment to an HR rep, meant to convey humor — may be misinterpreted, and instead may be found to be opinionated, or terse or demanding or nonsensical, because it is short and carries no details to set the premise of good communications. However your comments may come across, if they come across wrong, it will quickly stall a growing interest from a potential employer. Dont take the chance.

As a society, our training in manners and etiquette is mostly based on our expectations of friendly face-to-face communications. It extends from there to include telephone, postal mail, and media based communications, and now digital exchanges. Even though there are numerous advantages to digital communication, there is one big drawback — no direct voice or personal contact. Consequently, it is easy to misinterpret what someone has typed on a keyboard, as far as tone or emphasis of message is concerned. So job seekers should make great effort so all their job search documents express specific ideas and concepts, and are friendly, and polite, as though addressing a real human being because they are!. Employers will appreciate your efforts, and the message about your value to their company will get through faster.

Therefore, it is to your benefit to understand some basics about general business writing styles. When you write and/or post your rsum or other job search documents, apply common sense to the composition. Dont vary from what makes sense and what youve seen other people use successfully. You dont have to be an English Professor to have a good resume. Yet, a job seeker can lose a good job opportunity if they submit resume documents whose text is all in capital letters, for instance. Not only is such a document difficult to read, but in the digital realm it sends multiple messages like how it suggests the job seeker cant follow guidelines, or how they may be willful or undisciplined. And, in fact, for many people who communicate regularly in the digital realm, typing words in all caps is the same as shouting at someone. Thats just one example of how easy it is to send the wrong message to a potential employer, and do it without realizing it. Use good rules of writing. Use good rules of conduct. Be polite as you begin and end digital communications.

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

Mark Baber has 20 years experience as an Executive Search recruiter. For one-on-one job search assistance submit your resume directly to Mark via: http://www.mcbaber.com

Mark is Recruit Consultant to http://www.JobNewsRadio.com And Consultant to http://www.smarthiredirect.com , a low cost, effective recruit, hiring and job applicant tracking system for recruiters, HR staff and employers at all levels.

Tags: career, employment, hire, hiring, job, job search, labor, reseume, work
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Job Resume Issues How To Fix Them

Posted on August 11th, 2008

In this high tech Twenty-First Century it’s not uncommon for a job seeker to unexpectedly misapply or misunderstand some aspect of their own resume. After all, resumes advanced from the basic one page outline of a person’s work history, till now they can arrive in one of a hundred different key-character font styles, with fancy backgrounds, customized digital stationary, even with full facial photographs; or in one of dozens of various file formats. Enough variation to create a sense of some minor confusion for an eager job seeker who doesn’t pay attention.

This article addresses four key areas of resume focus:

anti virus
use of snail mail
resume url & resume file format match
use of Objective in modern resume and Cover Letter usage

It is important that you keep your computer virus protection up to date. Many anti-virus software packages include email scan functionality. Make sure yours is turned on. If you are not sure, consult the product documentation that came with your anti-virus software. If you dont have anti-virus software, get some. Many email anti-virus software firms offer excellent packages. Several good products even offer their products free with automatic virus definition upgrades. It will never help your chances of getting hired if you send a computer virus into the company where you want to work. Such viruses, if they exist in your PC, can get hooked into innocent documents and thusly become transferred from and tracked directly back to your resume. Protect your email from viruses. Its considered good manners and will help you get hired faster.

Current conventional wisdom has it that we are in an employers market — which means that the employer has the upper hand. With nearly one hundred qualified applicants for every position, there is some real truth to this view. So, when you respond to a job posting that requests a rsum via standard post, print out your rsum and cover letter, fold them up, put them in an envelope, address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in a mailbox. Do not try to be creative. Dont follow up by sending a digital version via email unless requested. Sometimes the modern way is to do things the old fashioned way.

Similarly, when instructed to submit a rsum digitally, do not submit the URL (web page location) for a web page that contains your rsum. Submit an actual digital version of your rsum instead. Even seemingly insignificant departures from instructions that employers post for submission of your credentials can be cause enough for your removal from the process. Follow resume submission rules. The appropriate way to distinguish you from others — is to communicate clearly and follow their rules. Show yourself as the ideal choice for this position by not bending the rules to your own advantage.

Some new considerations In the past, there has been some dispute over the effectiveness of having an OBJECTIVE statement at the top of ones rsum. Some felt the Cover Letter was the place to present that information. In light of the fact that nowadays a job seekers resume will be included in one or more prospective employers candidate database, the OBJECTIVE statement now becomes the spot on the rsum where you indicate the position you prefer or other pertinent information that often would only appear in a Cover Letter. The idea is, that most candidate databases dont include a candidates Cover Letter, only the resume.

By including a brief entry in the OBJECTIVE area, a candidate can be certain anyone reading their resume will also know the candidates employment preferences. The days when you might have been able to mail a rsum in to a personnel manager, and he or she might look it over for you, and see if they have any openings that might fit your talents and experience, are almost gone for good. In such an environment as we have now, much less personal, following proven strategies of netiquette can make your resume stands out from the others, for a start. By customizing your resume to carry your important career skills and accomplishments, and also to present some basic aspects of your career preferences, you send a polite message to every hiring agent who may find you in that candidate database, that you are capable and focused.

There is a good argument that an online job search does not require a resume COVER LETTER. In the digital realm, a cover letter adds an extra attachment, extra time for the processors, something unexpected that someone will have to deal with. In the case of submitting your rsum via the web, a cover letter is nearly superfluous, unless it contains crucial information not easily written into your rsum, such as physical handicaps or other special or extenuating circumstances. In which case, your cover letter should be short and to the point. Do not use the cover letter to market yourself to the company, or you run the risk someone thinks you are trying to manipulate their system.

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

Mark Baber has 20 years experience as an Executive Search recruiter. Visit http://www.mcbaber.com for direct job search assistance.

Mark is Recruit Consultant to http://www.JobNewsRadio.com

Mark is also Consultant to http://www.smarthiredirect.com

Tags: career, employment, hiring, internet, job, job interview, job search, online, resume
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Online Job Search Resume Submission Secrets

Posted on August 9th, 2008

Follow the rules when submitting a resume for consideration by a possible employer or job-bank. Address prospective employers through the resume submission channels and in the formats that they request. Those aspects of resume submission will usually vary employer by employer and by job site. Dont be creative with their processes. Many of us are tempted to embellish and send five references when the employer only asks for three, as one example or, as happens frequently, a job candidate will submit their resume to an employer in a document file format that doesnt match what the employer uses, so no one at the company can read it. Follow procedure.

Sometimes you will be instructed to send your rsum in the body of an email, and not as a file attachment. Sometimes, the request is to send the resume only as a file attachment, and only as a ASCII-text file. Sometimes youll be asked to submit your credentials via a online submission form, or other alternate method. Requirement change frequently, so you have to be adaptable. The variances in file type requests are prompted by many considerations bandwidth usage, how a company may distribute resumes they collect, sometimes its for computer virus management as viruses often ride in on email attachments, to name just a few of the reasons you should follow resume submission guidelines thoroughly. And though it may be hard to accept now, there will come a time when all the cool custom design work you put into your rsum if you did - will never be seen.

More often than not, employers want text-only resumes. No colors, or background patterns, or digital artwork. Plain text. If you are unaware of the mechanics of saving your files as text-only files, or other text formats, or how to prepare your rsum for scanning and database inclusion, ask someone with some computer savvy to explain it to you and walk you through the procedures. Or search online, where there are many free tutorials on those topics These are not difficult tasks to perform or learn. And you will use such basic digital skills time and again in a modern job search.

On the other hand, there are times when a company will request your rsum be sent as a MS WORD file, which is not a text-only document. So it makes sense for you to have your rsum ready as a text-only file and as a MS WORD document too. A MS WORD document has a file name that ends with the file suffix .doc. The text-only ASCII file ends with a .txt after the dot. These two file formats will allow you to ship your resume as either a ASCII or MS WORD format, if requested. Whatever format the employer asks you to use, it is the system they have devised to process applicants quickly and efficiently. By complying with their requests, you help keep their workload to a minimum, and you show your own willingness to be polite, cooperative . Another choice, ask the potential employer if its okay to send your resume the easiest way possible copy/paste your rsum directly into the body of an email. Eliminates the need for attachments. Once you do that, your brief comments at the top of the email become like a brief, basic cover letter, leading the reader directly into your resume, which resides below.

One job search strategy has job seekers sending resumes to multiple contacts within the same company. In some cases, that is a viable approach to market one’s skills. But be aware, sending copies of your rsum to multiple persons in the same company is now beginning to be seen as a breach of netiquette. Get permission first. If you are requested to submit your resume via email, dont send it by standard post too unless requested. Should you make changes to your rsum, submitting a single second copy is acceptable, as long as the body of the email that carries the attachment explains that there are revisions, and points out to the reader where he or she may find them in the body of the rsum. You should also feel free to resubmit your rsum after ninety days if there is no immediate progress. Most companies purge candidates from their active databases in cycles of ninety days, so quarterly submittals will keep you current in the database of a company for which you have a strong desire to work.

Smart job seekers should realize there are some critical requirements for submitting resumes online, whether via web form, email, as a file attachment or some other method. Do it wrong and your resume is lost or side-tracked. Do it right and your resume is to the hiring decision maker by morning. The resume submission strategies outlined in this article may seem to exert a weak force on your job search universe. When you consider how many things can go wrong in a job search - sometimes it’s as if gravity itself steps in and pulls your job search to the ground fast, or propels it foward at a sprint, depending on what balance and focus you exert. Same holds true for resume submission. Attend to details. Follow the rules.

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

Mark Baber has 20 years experience as an Executive Search recruiter. For job search assistance, forward your resume to Mark at: http://www.mcbaber.com

Mark is Recruit Consultant to http://www.JobNewsRadio.com ;and to http://www.smarthiredirect.com, a low cost, effective recruit, hiring and job applicant tracking system for recruiters, HR staff and employers at all levels.

Tags: career, employment, hiring, human resources, job, job interview, job search, online, resume
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Preparing For A Career Change

Posted on August 5th, 2008

The time has come for a career change. You wish to switch careers and it’s the only thing on your mind these days. Bored, fired, low pay or high ambition, there are any number of reasons for a career change. First things first! Don’t fret. A career change is not as bad these days as it was made out to be in the olden days when there were fewer options for employment. But now, with highly paid jobs available and new skills that can be learnt over a few weeks, things have changed drastically. Many people have given up seemingly secure banking, government jobs etc and have opted for software jobs, creative jobs and even freelance options. All you need then is a bit of courage, a dash of self belief and some clarity of thought and you can join the band of people who have successfully changed careers.

If you are on the edge of changing careers, here are a few things you may want to do to get more clarity on your thought process. As always we must begin the process at home i.e. with ourselves. Firstly take an honest look at why you want to change your career. Junk the trash about bad boss, bad conditions etc because these reasons do not help you in your decision making process. Instead identify aspects about the job that you want, about qualities within you that you feel can be commercially and creatively expanded. In simple terms find out what excites you - meeting people, negotiating, writing, traveling, sports, communicating or whatever else. Once you know that this is the one thing you would like to do for your creative satisfaction then we can zero down to further career options. If on the other hand you are seeking to move because you wish more compensation, faster growth, travel etc, look to identify your qualities and experience that could land the kind of jobs you want. For example if you wish to be a software consultant and you have been working as an accountant, there are many finance related software skills that you can add to yourself to find a software career with an accounting background.

Identify what excites you the most and find a career that works around your passion. There are as many options as you want these days. If you conduct some research, you will be surprised at the kind of options that are available. From working from home to traveling abroad to setting up event management companies to providing creative consultancy, you can hop on to any career you wish. Normally most ex-jobs (even the most boring ones) leave you with a certain amount of basic skills that come in good stead for your career change. Organizational skills, communication skills, creative skills, administrative skills, leadership skills etc are skills that you can carry along with you to your new job. Identify those skills and work on them in a way that you can leverage them for you new career. This will give you a head start because most principles in business or arts work around a pattern and you can slot it into your pattern.

Find people you know in the new career you would like to get into and meet as many people in that business as you can. Their advise on how the industry works, the skill sets required and so on will be invaluable. Based your research you can narrow down your search to the courses or skills you need to add and where from. The process will also help you meet many new people who could be valuable resources in the new career search. It also helps to gain experience on the side, by working on projects or part time jobs.

A career change can be the one decision that could change your life for the better because it is a decision you would have taken consciously and responsibly. It is a decision you have taken for your own good and therefore you will work at it diligently and carefully and with a lot of love and care. In most cases it is a passion for that kind of work or the result of your work that motivates you and both reasons augur well for you in the career. Thee will be some initial set backs - the cash flows may not be heavy in the beginning, new places and new environments might be daunting but it will all pass. Once you are up and over that learning curve nothing can stop you. Good luck!

Yulin Peng is a recruiting researcher and the owner of http://www.job-employment-guide.com. Please visit his site for more free employment tips.

Tags: career change, career planning, interview, job search
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