Get That Job Today

Being unemployed can take a major toll on your self-esteem, your financial situation, and your desire. If prolonged, it can also have a negative impact on your competency level (i.e., keeping up with skills, experience and attributes that are in demand in the job market). But dont get down on yourself. As you look for a new job, you need to understand that there are thousands of others who are also unemployed and looking for a job.

To give yourself an edge and position yourself ahead of these other jobseekers, implement an effective job market strategy for overcoming unemployment. Here are the top 3 strategies you need to consider in overcoming your unemployment.

Strategy 1 Create Your Own Job Opportunities: It is a statistical fact that 80% of job seekers concentrate on 20% of jobs available. You may find this puzzling, but it makes sense when you consider that these 20% of jobs are the jobs advertised through the mainstream job channels most job seekers use newspapers and recruitment agencies. The other 80% of jobs are accessed via the hidden job market channels and this is where you need to concentrate your efforts.

Strategy 2 Take On Volunteer Work: It is rather shortsighted when jobseekers say they cannot do volunteer work because they dont want to work for free. This is so far from the truth when you take the time to consider what you stand to get out of it. Volunteer work achieves 5 things: it keeps your skills and experience up to date; portrays you as a hardworking, proactive individual who uses his or her initiative; puts you into the know with regard to the internal job market industry, as you now have one foot through the door at your place of volunteer work; makes you more marketable as you can put the name of the company down as place of work; and, finally, naturally gives you an edge over other job applicants as a result of the first 4 reasons. Think of it this way. If you were the employer and you were considering 2 applicants, one who does volunteer work and the other who has just remained unemployed and has done nothing, who would have the edge in your eyes?

Strategy 3 Continuous Improvement: Never stop developing yourself. Be highly committed to self-development, especially given the impact of the information age on todays fast-paced and ever-changing world of work. Those who get jobs effortlessly are those who are on the cutting edge of their industry in terms of latest trends, technologies, training and specialized industry advancement. The good news is that there is a huge variety of affordable, sometimes free, ways to stay ahead of the curve. So commit to learning and improving yourself by participating in educational experiences such as classes or training, reading specialist publications, researching info on relevant websites, and so on.

Simply working on these top 3 areas will dramatically improve your chances of achieving your job goal in the quickest and most effective manner possible. But first a note of caution: the success of these strategies is very dependent on how well developed your job market skills are. Conduct a self-analysis of your current job market performance by taking this FREE Job Market Performance Assessment.

The days when you could find thousands of jobs involving semi-skilled or unskilled work have gone. Automation has replaced human labour and taken always great slices of activity which once involved mundane, routine tasks. Information technology is also beginning to take over in some areas of skilled and professional work, such as quality control and printing, design and administration. Transferable or portable skills – skills which can be adapted and shaped to meet the requirements of several different types of job – are becoming increasingly important.

If your skills have become outdated in a shrinking market, you must be prepared to retrain if you are to succeed in finding new employment. Progress will not stand still simply to accommodate your need for a job, and there is no Divine Right to employment if you are not prepared to put some effort into it.

You may feel you are too old to learn new tricks. The simple truth is that thousands of people are ding exactly this throughout the country, and the opportunities for retaining or catching up with lost education are expanding all the time. Dont be put off by your age or use this as an excuse: you are never too old to learn – it might just take you a little longer.

Deciding to knuckle down to update or expand your skills is largely a matter of adopting the right attitude, but deciding precisely what skills should be updated or expanded has to be researched very thoroughly, and has a crucial part to play in your campaign to find the right job.

If you know your hopes of getting back into your old type of employment are slim, this is the time to begin putting your future into sharper focus and to start planning with a clearer understanding of what you are trying to achieve. To do this you will need to build on your past.

The days when you could find thousands of jobs involving semi-skilled or unskilled work have gone. Automation has replaced human labour and taken always great slices of activity which once involved mundane, routine tasks. Information technology is also beginning to take over in some areas of skilled and professional work, such as quality control and printing, design and administration. Transferable or portable skills – skills which can be adapted and shaped to meet the requirements of several different types of job – are becoming increasingly important.

If your skills have become outdated in a shrinking market, you must be prepared to retrain if you are to succeed in finding new employment. Progress will not stand still simply to accommodate your need for a job, and there is no Divine Right to employment if you are not prepared to put some effort into it.

You may feel you are too old to learn new tricks. The simple truth is that thousands of people are ding exactly this throughout the country, and the opportunities for retaining or catching up with lost education are expanding all the time. Dont be put off by your age or use this as an excuse: you are never too old to learn – it might just take you a little longer.

Deciding to knuckle down to update or expand your skills is largely a matter of adopting the right attitude, but deciding precisely what skills should be updated or expanded has to be researched very thoroughly, and has a crucial part to play in your campaign to find the right job.

If you know your hopes of getting back into your old type of employment are slim, this is the time to begin putting your future into sharper focus and to start planning with a clearer understanding of what you are trying to achieve. To do this you will need to build on your past.

Is it possible to wake up some day at 40 and think that you want to do something completely different? Is that just a day dream, to be thought about on the drive home from work, but nothing more than a dream?

Well it can be a pipe dream, or it can become reality. The choice really is yours. Many people find that once they have hit mid life, they know what they want from life and they arent going to compromise. Instead they want to make sure that they fulfil all their dreams and if that means suddenly throwing everything in to become something very different, then so be it.

But (and here is the cautionary note) make sure that your dream is all that you want it to be! If, for example, you dream of being a gardener or landscape architect then instead of jacking in your job, re-training and then finding out that you actually hate it, try to get some work experience first. You can either do this on a voluntary basis, working with a company just to see if you like it, or sign up with a recruitment agency, so that you can test it out and get paid for it at the same time!

Remember that life is short and one thing that we all have in common is that we all have only one shot at life, so you need to make sure that you dont regret things you havent tried. Even if you try things and they dont work out, you chased your dream and that counts for a lot. But chasing your dream usually means that it does work out, since you have so much vested interest in creating success. So mid life career changes can be the best thing that happened to many people: go for it!

While having a formal education is certainly a good way to break into some industries, dont fret if you didnt earn a college degree. Theres still hope! Lets look at three qualities you must possess in order to get the job you want without a degree.

Soft Skills: These are skills not obtained by getting a degree. Some of these skills deemed most important by employers include the following:

Enthusiasm
Friendly personality
Punctuality
Ability to get along well with others
Professional appearance and mannerism
Genuine interest in the job at hand

Making Connections: Great jobs are handed out every day to so-and-sos cousin or the head honchos friends grandson. If you want to meet with the same success, you will have to make and tap your connections effectively.

When youre trying to make connections, you have to step outside of your comfort zone and come to life when you meet others. Sometimes you simply have to strike up conversations in coffee shops or grocery store lines. Make a proactive effort to find out a little more about the people who
surround you in your daily life. You never know who might be standing next to you in line for a movie or sitting next to you on a train!

And dont neglect those contacts you already have. Take the time to analyze people you know and whom you have recently met. Who can potentially help you in your job goal search? Who have you forgotten to ask about job opportunities? If you feel at all embarrassed about networking, remember that its never begging if you go in to speak to someone full of confidence, high energy, and optimism. In fact, you may be doing them a favor if they can put you in touch with somebody who actually ends up hiring youthis makes your friend look good! The bottom line is that youll never know whether your connections can work for you until you try.

Market Research: Employers appreciate applicants who do their homework. Market research can also help clear up any confusion. When you discover how the industry youre interested in works with other industries, you may find that some of unlikeliest contacts are the ones who can help you the most. So dont wait around for a job to find you. Go out and do you research, talk to your contacts, and bring the job to you!

Your ability to successfully tap and utilize the three qualities above depends on how well developed your job market skills are over all. So start off by analyzing your competency level by taking this FREE Job Market Performance Assessment.

You know that its the job for you. Youve done all the reading, and you understand that working as a flight attendant isnt all glamour and excitement. You know theres hard work and commitment involved, and that the money – well, no one becomes a flight attendant to get rich, after all. It doesnt matter – youve got your mind made up, and youre about to embark on a flight attendant job search. Here are some tips on conducting a flight attendant job search that will help you find the jobs that you want to apply for.

1. The major airlines are only 10% of the field for your flight attendant job search.

There are over 60 small and mid-size airlines in the United States – over 80 if you add Canadian based airlines as well. While the major airlines have cut back on hiring and have even furloughed flight attendants since 2001, the small airlines are thriving. If youre looking to work with fractional operators and charter services, the flight attendant job search possibilities are even broader. The jobs are out there – you just need to expand the scope of your job search beyond the Big Six.

2. Dont overlook traditional job hunt methods in your flight attendant job search.

Yes, they do advertise in the local papers help wanted sections. Youll also find recruitment ads for the airlines in industry publications, so if youre serious about finding a job as a flight attendant, get yourself subscribed to aviation newsletters and magazines.

3. Harness the power of the Internet to get your flight attendant job search into high gear.

Do check the usual suspects. Youll find listings for flight attendant open houses and job openings on Monster, HotJobs! and other Internet job sites. Youll also find listings for flight attendant job opportunities on some of the major newspapers want ad pages.

But dont stop with the job listings on the job search engines. Because aviation is so industry specific, youll find the biggest concentrations of job openings and listings on aviation industry specific sites. A simple search for flight attendant jobs will pull up several job search sites specifically for those in aviation. Check them out carefully and join one or two. Even better, find a discussion forum for flight attendants and join that. You can post questions, read information from working flight attendants and keep your eyes peeled for announcements of open houses.

4. Apply on the company web site.

Many airlines now have a link for you to upload your resume when youre doing a flight attendant job search. While they may not be hiring when you check, enter your information anyway so that they can send you an invitation when they do mass job interviews and informational meetings in your area.

5. Networking is still the number one way to find a job.

Like any other job, its often who you know that gets your foot in the door in a flight attendant job search. Let people know youre looking – let everyone know youre looking. You might never know that your great Aunt Lucys next door neighbors daughter is a flight attendant if you dont mention that youre looking for a job working for an airline – but it just might be your ticket into the industry.

Whatever you do, do treat your flight attendant job search seriously. Look at the ads daily, and be sure to have a professional resume and cover letter ready to send out to any job openings that you find.

What do you do when you have that gut feeling of impending doom about your job? Is the writing on the wall? Are you about to be laid off or fired? Is the company going under? Or is it going to come out of the blue that you no longer have a job. If you have these feeling then now is the time to take action in order to soften the blow. You need to start today to get your affairs in order. If the ax falls you will be in a much better position than your coworkers. If you follow these steps and nothing happens you will still be much better off than you are now.

First off, is your resume up to date? If you have not updated it in a few years, now is the time. You may want to consider hiring a professional to do it for you. You need to put your best foot forward. You want to be able to start sending it out before or right after you become unemployed. Searching for a new job can be a full time job by itself. Do you job skills need updating? While you are still working may be a good time to take a few classes and update your skills or start training for a new career. You may want to sign up with a temp agency now so they can place you later. Advantages of temp agencies are they pay well, they find a job for you, you wont be competing for a position with dozens of others and you can usually start immediately.

Start networking. Ask everyone you know if they know of any job openings. If you have not lost your job yet, explain to them you may be laid off and will be looking for a new job. Maybe they can give you a contact name within their company. Someone to send your resume to letting them know if they have any openings in the future you would like to be considered. Start the process now. It is not what you know, it is who you know.

Get your financial house in order. This is always easier said than done. If you are like most people you may already be living paycheck to paycheck and there is nothing extra. If you become unemployed you need as much cash as possible to carry you through. Most experts recommend 3-6 months cash to meet your living needs. What if you cant find a job for 8 months or a year? Gather all your cash reserve or sources for cash. Stash as much as possible to meet you needs.

If you are laid off, the next day you should start filling out any paperwork for unemployment benefits you may qualify for.

You will get through this, it will just take time. Start taking these important steps today and you will be far better prepared for tomorrow.

Have you ever gone through the interview process, felt confident that youd performed extremely well, and then heard these dreadful words: Im sorry, but we feel youre overqualified for this position.

Arrggh!!

When I was told that after an interview, several thoughts went through my frustration-fogged mind What kind of crazy excuse is that for not hiring me? So what if Im overqualified dont employers always want to hire the person with the best qualifications? If Im willing to take this job, overqualified or not, why is that a problem? This isnt fair! Whats the real reason they dont want to hire me?

When interviewers say you are overqualified, heres what they are concerned about:

(1) Youll be bored in this position;
(2) You wont be satisfied with the salary theyre offering;
(3) Youll leave as soon as you get a better opportunity;
(4) Theyll have to go through the time-consuming and expensive process of hiring and training someone all over again.

They may or may not make you feel better about being overqualified, but you must admit those are legitimate concerns.

If you get the overqualified excuse once, youll be wary about getting it again. So if you apply for other jobs that may be at a lower level than warranted by your background, skills, education and experience, you may be tempted to dumb down your resume and omit things like college degrees. But lying about your background is not the way to go.

Heres a better strategy: address it head-on. Be the first one to raise the overqualified issue with a potential employer. If you bring it up yourself, you can discuss it openly and convince the interviewer that it
wont be a problem.

They key as with every job interview issue is to anticipate and prepare. Before you go to the interview,think about what youll say and how you will convince them that they should hire you, even if you are overqualified.

After explaining how you will be a great asset for their company, tell them why you are applying for a lower-level position. Do not say, I cant find anything else and I really need a job. Though that may be the case, this approach is a little too honest and will reinforce their fear that you will leave
at the first opportunity.

Say something like, You can tell that Ive worked at a higher level before, but this position is exactly what Im looking for. Then, depending on the job and your circumstances, explain why. For example:
* Ive always wanted to work for your company [or in this industry], and Im willing to take a lower-level position to get that opportunity.

* It will allow me to use my skills and expand my experience in a new field.

* Im looking for something a little less stressful, with fewer responsibilities, so I can spend more time with my family.

* This position provides the stability and long-term growth potential Im looking for.

* The salary is not my top priority. Id have no problem with earning less than Ive earned in the past.

Be very enthusiastic about the job. Explain how you can meet their needs now and in the future as the company grows. And most important of all, convince them that you will not quit as soon as something better comes along.

If you are convinced that this job would be worth it, you might even try this: offer to sign an agreement stating that you will stay on the job for a minimum of 12 months. Whether the hiring manager actually takes you up on that offer or not, it will definitely make a very positive impression!

If you anticipate the overqualified issue and address it up front, it will not be a drawback to your success!

Finding a job is such a daunting task. Here, there, and everywhere, job seekers tend to look for the best means in order to find the best jobs.

However, most of them are predisposed to neglect job fairs. This is because many job seekers get annoyed with the jam-packed, full of activity, and baffling series of events. Nevertheless, they are still the best place to land a job.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States, the employment status is likely to boost by 15%. That is why job fairs are the best places to find a job because many companies will be participating in the event.

Job fairs are not really that bustling. The important thing is to obtain the necessary requirements needed in job applications and the rest, as they say, is history.

Here are some of the things that a job seeker must have by the time he or she is at the job fair in order to make the most out of it:

1. Advance research can be very helpful.

Most job seekers aim to find the best employment possible. Hence, it is important to do some advance research before going to a job fair.

Usually, the organizers of this event will post the companies that will participate on the job fair. Obtaining some information about the companies and the position that is open for the job would be an edge over the others.

2. Job seekers should have enough resumes.

It would be better if job seekers have enough resumes, at least 25, before going to the job fair. In this way, the applicant will be able to provide resumes to all of the potential employers in the job fair. The more applications you deliver the better chances of landing a job.

3. Job seekers should know how important it is to dress for the occasion.

As they say, first impressions last. Hence, in order to cut above the rest of job seekers, an individual should learn how to impress his or her future employer by dressing for the best. It should project a professional outlook, enthusiasm, and the determination to get the job that he or she really wants.

4. Job seekers should be prepared for some on-the-spot interviews.

5. An applicant should have a list of the companies where he or she had given his or her resume.

Knowing these things can be very helpful especially if it is the applicants first time in a job fair. Hence, people should be more aware of the benefits they can derive from job fairs alone.

When you accept a position you always wonder if you have made the right decision.
Is there any way to know if you have indeed made the right decision? Of course its
di9fficult to know until you get into the position and begin working but if you have
made your list of attributes for the perfect job and chosen the one that most closely
matches your list, you can be reasonably certain you have made the right choice.
You went to a great deal of trouble to obtain your perfect job, so you dont want to
be too quick to question your judgment. You want to give yourself time to think
about it and learn all there is to know about your new job before you make any
judgments. When you first start a job there will be time for you to work into the
position and learn it, so dont think because it isnt what you expected at the
beginning that will continue. You should have asked all the pertinent questions at
the interview, and if you did that, any doubts you have in the beginning will
dissipate as you learn more about your new job.

Keep in mind that all new positions have a breaking in period and even if you done
the same type of work in the past for another company, there will still be some
differences. You are not going to work right into your perfect job the first time you
sit down at your new deskyou and the job need to learn to know one another
before you will feel comfortable. Once you get past the getting to know you stage,
you will feel more comfortable about the decision you made.

There may be cases where you asked all of the right questions but the employer did
not give you complete answers and you find the new job is not what you thought it
was. Do you simply grin and bear it? That depends how close it is to being your
perfect job. If there is a possibility for improvement, you dont want to just walk
away. If, on the other hand, you do not think the new job is going to work out for
you in the end, you will have to decide if you want to stay for the time being and
look to move on before you become too involved with the company to seek
something else.

The job interview is the only chance you have to present yourself in a positive light
to a potential employer. If you fail to do that, you kill your chances for being hired.
Of course, most of us do not fail at interviews by choiceit is simply the employers
choice to hire someone else. However, some things a person may do that are
completely out of line and will kill all of their chances of being hired.
Being late to the interview
Although there may be some circumstances that are beyond your control, for the
most part if you schedule your time properly, there should be no reason for not
arriving at the interview on time. Things such as an unforeseen traffic delay or
being unable to find the employers place of business are acceptable if you have
allowed enough time initially. Do make sure to call and communicate with the
interviewer.

Inappropriate dress for the interview
In most cases it is inappropriate to go to an interview wearing jeans, shorts or
other casual attire. If this is acceptable the interviewer will tell you at the time they
schedule the interview. If you are leaving one job to go for the interview, make
sure to let the interviewer know that ahead of time in the event your current job
allows casual dress.

Taking calls on your cell phone during the interview
At no time is it acceptable to accept a phone call during an interview or to provide
the interviewers phone number to others. If you have children that may become ill,
make other arrangements for their care. The employer is going to see this as a sign
you will be unwilling to arrange care for your children and will expect to leave any
time they are ill.

Discussing personal business with the interviewer
Although the interviewer may ask you a series of personal questions during the
interview, do not offer any information that is not directly related to the job. For
instance, if you dont drive, he may ask how you will get back and forth to work if
there is no public transportation and you can say that your husband or boyfriend
will take you and pick you up, but there is no need to discuss other issues. The
interviewer doesnt care if you are buying a new house, getting married next week,
or having problems at home.