Can You Help Me Find a Job?

When are you going to find me a job? Can you help me find a job? Why haven't you found me a job? Those are the questions many job seekers want to know when they follow up with a recruiter or a staffing firm.
Recently, there have been cases in which job seekers have experienced what is known as Job Hunting Depression because they have tried so hard to find a job, and have interviewed with multiple staffing firms, yet did not receive any requests for job interviews. Additionally, some of those same individuals have applied online for several jobs, only to experience rejection, and in many cases, no responses at all.
As their job hunting frustration grows, those questions might become more agitated and they might ask: Will I ever find a job? Am I capable of being hired? Why won't anyone hire me? The sad thing about this scenario is no one should ever solely depend on a recruiter, a job board, or any person for that matter, to find a job.
If you are searching for a job, or wondering how to find a recruiter, you must realize that most headhunters/professional recruiters receive hundreds of applicants each week. While many do their best to help each person, it becomes nearly impossible to give individualized attention to most of the applicants.
Some staffing firms waste job seekers time by having them come into their office, fill out a ton of paperwork, and still do not have any jobs for them, nor return their calls. That's a shame; however, it happens. How can you avoid this and get the help you need?
First of all, by the time you contact a staffing firm, you should be miles ahead by establishing a job hunting plan for yourself and marketing yourself to employers. Contacting a staffing firm should only be used as a way to ensure you have covered all your bases by allowing an agency to take a look at your skill sets to possibly present you before employers you have not contacted as of yet.
Job placement agencies should not be used as your primary method of finding work unless you are in a situation in which you are already working, you have a well established relationship with a trusted, experienced recruiter, and you simply want someone to keep their eyes opened for opportunities.
Secondly, when you talk with the recruiter, make sure you communicate that you are willing to meet with them and discuss your skill sets in greater details; however, you need to know if they have a position available for you before you spend one half of your day meeting with them.
If a recruiter can't tell you that there might be job openings in your field of expertise, and he/she only wants you to come and complete an application to find out what's available, you have to weigh you options because it could be a complete waste of time.
If extensive travel is involved, and/or you have to take off from work to make that interview, I would warn you to think twice before going. At the very least, the recruiter should be able to tell you this statement: "I do have some potential openings in your field; however, I can't guarantee you will be considered as a candidate until I conduct an in-person interview with you and discuss your background in greater detail."
Quick Job Tip: The best way to use your time as you search for jobs in a tough economy is to develop a list of potential employers, and contact them to set up your own job interview without a resume.
Remember, not all recruiters are bad and many do their best to help people; however, you never want to find yourself depending on others for your financial stability.
The next time you are tempted to ask someone: Why can't I find a job? You may want to turn the question back to yourself and ask: Why am I waiting for someone to help me find a job? It's time to become a proactive job seeker and become less dependent on others to find work.
Zenja Glass

Top 5 Ways to Make Yourself More Marketable While You're Unemployed

Does this sound familiar: you've been out of work for more than a few months and you're at your wit's end. Your resume is posted on all the social networking sites; you've contacted every former colleague and old high school buddy you can think of; and you've applied to every job posting in your field since last November.
You're stuck and don't know what to do next.
While you're obviously going to keep job hunting, here are some out-of-the-box ideas that will not only keep you busy, but they'll help build your resume while you're out of work. Who knows--they may just even lead to your next job.
Live and Work Abroad
Maybe once upon a time you dreamed of packing up your things and moving to another country, but you were worried about what it might do to your resume. If you're out of work and looking for what's next, now might be the perfect time to work and live abroad.
Living abroad will not only give you a chance to experience another culture and learn another language, but if you play your cards right, you can get paid to do it. Working as an au pair, or working for one of many English-teaching programs, for example, can provide you the funds you need to live and work in Japan, Korea, France, and a whole host of other countries.
Volunteer
One of the worst things about being unemployed is being stuck in the house all day. Get back into the world by volunteering. Helping out at your local animal shelter, homeless center, or religious organization will get you out of the house and around people.
In addition, it will help fill that gap on your resume, give you a sense of personal fulfillment, and it may even introduce you to a potential contact, client or colleague.
Freelance
These days, many companies would rather hire a short-term consultant than hire another FTE (full-time employee). You may not realize it, but you probably have marketable skills that could help you work you way to your next job, and bring in some serious cash while you're doing it.
Think about what experience you have, and how you can market yourself. If you worked in marketing, advertising, public relations, or communications, you probably have the writing skills to work as a freelance writer and editor. If you're a former IT/computer science professional, try offering your web design services to smaller companies and start-ups who can't afford an in-house webmaster. If you once worked as an art director, take your skills and start a freelance graphic design business.
In addition to earning a few extra dollars, freelance projects can help grow your personal network and portfolio, and may even lead to a relationship with a future employer.
Brush Up on Your Skills
If you graduated from school awhile ago, chances are your industry has changed slightly since you last hit the books. Take your time off as an opportunity to get up to speed on the latest technologies, software products, and paradigm shifts in your career field.
A fast, inexpensive way to update your education is to take a certification class. Certification classes can range from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the level of commitment and information you are seeking. Best of all, they can show a future employer your personal drive and motivation, as well as add a continuing education component to your resume.
Find Temporary Work
If a full-time position just isn't presenting itself, consider employment at a temp agency or staffing firm. These organizations will test your skills and then match them to a company who needs a worker to fill in for another employee who's out sick, on vacation, or on maternity leave.
While some positions are short-term and may only last a few days, other "temp-to-permanent" positions can segue your temp job into a full-time career. Either way, these opportunities give you a chance to network, add to your resume, and put some money in your pocket
Noel Rozny 

Tell Me About Yourself - 7 Key Strategies to Sell Yourself in an Interview and Land That Job!

So you have landed an interview for a job and want to sell yourself well. When attending an interview be aware of these 7 key strategies so as to deliver a great interview and land that job. Preparing for an interview can be hard, however it is advisable that you put in the time and effort if you want to stand out.
1: Do not digress from the question asked. Keep it brief and relevant
When asked a 'Tell me about yourself' question, the tendency is to oversell ourselves however be aware of not talking too long or digressing from the question. What the employer wants to know is how useful and suitable are you for the role not the ins and outs of your daily life or personal history from way back, so keep your answer 'short and sweet' or else the interviewee will lose interest and become bored.
2: Good eye contact
If faced with one interviewer or a panel remember to give eye contact to all members it demonstrates confidence and creates a good impression.
3: Over gesticulation
During an interview gesticulation is sometimes needed but be aware of not using it to cover up nerves or over emphasizing a point. It can be annoying to the interviewer when an interviewee is constantly over gesticulating.
4: Prepare for the interview
What do I mean by 'Prepare for the interview?' Re-read the job description and specification and ask yourself what sort of person is required for this role. If it is a customer facing role sell all the skills you have which show that you are a people person, that you can build a rapport with customers, and that the customer is valued and important. This requires you to read in between the lines of the job description and have your answer tailored to it.
5: Show keenness and motivation
When asking interview questions show keenness to learn new skills and where you may be inexperienced in a particular area demonstrate how your transferable skills fit in with the role. Demonstrate that you are willing to learn, can adapt quickly and complete what's asked of you. Do not forget, you will be one in a number of people being interviewed for that role so show spark.
6: Self belief, all round skills and experience
Self belief is so important as well as all round skills. What do I mean by this? An individual who has a Degree may not be hired over a person who has none. This is because experience is sometimes placed higher than qualifications as employers want someone who can demonstrate a 'Can do' practical attitude. So when asked 'Tell me about yourself' sell your experiences whether paid or unpaid, as well as relevant work experiences carried out at home/personal life.
7: Reach out
So you have applied for a job and were fortunate to have secured an interview. Great! Now you are concerned about your lack of relevant experience of that role and believe you won't get it. Yes, it is annoying to get selected for an interview then later find out that your transferable skills will not work for that particular interview so what you should do is to speak to someone working in that firm who can tell you not only about the role you're going for but can answer the questions that are on the personal specification. Their time may be limited however, so let them know you appreciate their time and help. Also, read up about the firm for which you have applied for and make sure you get an all round grasp of what the role entails on a day to day basis. Yes, it is a lot of research but it'll pay off.
By Samantha Elutilo 

Career Advice: Five Reasons Communications Fail

No one doubts that effective communications are essential to the success of any organization. But not everyone succeeds at this critical task. There are five reasons for this failure.

Organizations spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on employee attitude surveys, newsletters, brochures, videos, audio cassettes, face-to-face meetings, and other tools of internal communications. Big bucks are invested in training managers to be better communicators.

Yet large numbers of employees at every level give internal communications poor grade despite all the investments of time, money and effort. The result is a "trust gap" between employer and employee.

Many managers have no idea that their communications efforts are not working. In a survey for Fortune magazine, 8 out of 10 chief executive officers said their corporate strategy is understood by "everyone who needs to know." To the contrary, it was found that less than one-third of employees think management provides clear goals and directions.

Less that fifty percent of employees approve of their employers' efforts to communicate what's happening with their jobs, according to a survey by Opinion Research Corporation.

Another study found that when top management does put out information, only about half of the employees have a positive response to what they are told.

The result of all of this is a loss of direction; a declining sense of loyalty between employer and employee; sagging morale; and loss of productivity.

Internal communications fail for five basic reasons.

1.Failure To Listen

Despite career advice to the contrary, most management efforts are made in sending messages rather than listening. This ignores the fact that communications is a two-way street.

Management sends out a blizzard of communications without ever taking the time to listen to see if the messages are being received, to say nothing of understood.

2. Sporadic Communications

Organizations cripple their ability to communicate and lose credibility with a program that is "on again-off again." This condition usually manifests two ways.

Employers are frustrated when employees fail to understand what is expected of them. Furthermore, they don't care. The solution is "We need an internal communications program". There is a flurry of activity; the situation shows some improvement. The communications program dwindles and dies, to be resurrected only when another crisis in employee attitudes develops.

In another scenario, things are going along in good shape for the company and management is actively communicating the good news to the troops. Suddenly there is bad news ... Sales and profits decline or the company is subjected to a class-action lawsuit. The iron curtain drops and all communications stop, to be resumed only if and when things get better.

3. Dishonest or Misleading Communications

Some companies are foolish enough to believe they can outright lie or mislead their employees. That never works for long.

4. Actions Don't Jibe With The Words

Management sends out messages that are contrary to their actions.

Such managers write articles saying, "We are all in this together ... one big happy family." Then they push their salaries to astronomical heights while holding pay raises for the rank and file below the rate of inflation.

They forget that actions speak louder than words.

5. Communications Are Confusing and Irrelevant

Management fails to communicate in clear and effective languages that everyone can understand and can relate to.

Fluff instead of facts fills the communications media: news of brides, babies and dead fish, plus canned cartoons and fillers. A warm and fuzzy climate is induced while the issues that deal with the health of the business are ignored.

It is very difficult to change these conditions. However, if this is the case in your workplace, you can make a start toward improving the situation by being sure you are communicating with your associates and your boss. Open a dialogue with your boss about the problem and suggest ways to open the lines of communications.

Your performance and that of your organization will improve with effective communications. 

Ramon Greenwood

Factors Affecting Career Choices

To secure life with a good job is probably what all of you look forward to. Choosing a career is only a small step towards that, whatever career you choose at the end of the day it is security and money. Then again, several factors come up as soon as you try to opt for a career. As you are seeking for security, you will be lead into a gamut of factors ranging from personal to financial to professional that will decide the career you choose. You cannot really avoid anything and have to follow the laid out path to achieve the right career for you, yet taking the right decision is necessary.

The qualities within you
The decision of a career is firstly based on what educational qualification you have or is looking forward to having. It is based on your personality and the path or field you have inclination in that will decide the job for that you will apply. Your ideas and your skills play the basic factors affecting career choices. But then again several things will come up along the process of career selection that will actually result into molding your original inclination or choice. However, you will have to remember one thing along the whole procedure that is keeping your confidence level high. There will be certain factors that will really be very important and you will have to give them importance to select the career. Then again try to select the path which best fulfills every need yet makes you happy working on it.

The personal bends
Most of you those who have parents working will try to select the path, which you have seen them following for so long. Whereas there will be other factors that affect careers cropping up for the others as well. Like the financial conditions at home, or the pressure of opting for a particular job created by your parents. In either case, not hurrying through the options for sheer easy success will only lead you to more trouble. Just try to make the best of your wishes within the things that affect job options. The personal factors affecting career choices will always prevail in the society but every individual have to make there way out for the best.

The society and the economy
Sometimes it might be sheer luck that, while looking for a career and a job you will land up within favorable economic conditions. However, there will be times when the conditions are truly unfavorable. How to make good career choices within these circumstances is a big question. Just defying the things that affect job opportunities will only lead you to more problems. Thus, what you require is clear understanding of the situation and working extremely patiently within these situations. Take decisions very carefully and keep in mind the way you want to work. Do not compromise the work satisfaction in any way.
Do not chose a career in haste however, bad the conditions around you might be. There will always be various factors affecting career choices, prioritizing your requirements and staying firm on your decision of career will only help you adjust within any circumstance. Financial worries or even sheer pressures will be enough to push you out of your chosen path. However, stay strong and opt for some career option that will grant all your wishes yet fulfill all other requirements. This is bound to take time so keep the patience meter on.


Silas Reed