In any sphere of activity, if the working methodology is contravened, everything goes to wrack and ruin - like dominoes if one amongst a chain of them is pulled out. Can you afford to flout any stage of your job search?
Any job search ought to be having the following five phases with each one of them being equally important and contingent on the others:
Preparation to sell oneself
The success of your job search is contingent on the groundwork you do. To that extent, preparation is presumably the most significant constituent of any job hunt effort. It should include the following elements:
· Capabilities & vulnerabilities: You need to be well aware of what you are, what you are cut out for and what you are weak at. What are your penchants? Knowing them is an extremely important facet and the earlier one gets to identify them, the better it will be for evident reasons.
· Career roadmap: You need to be clear about how you intend to move forward in your career. This entails also what you want to attain and at what stage in your life.
· Probable employers: After having done the above, you ought to be short-listing organizations that you would be willing to join. Evidently, your choice would be prompted by a host of factors, notable ones being repute, stability and prospects. Since different companies have varying workplace imperatives, you have to decide what you want in life and the degree of compromise you are willing to make.
· Posturing for employment: This implies putting yourself for sale. The process entails image projection so that the attention of recruiters is focused on you. On your own, you may not be able achieve much; your networking efforts will stand you in good stead.
Persuasive cover letter
If you are confident that all your preparations are in place, the next step is to start drafting your cover letters. The secret to a good cover letter lies in ensuring the following:
· Address: The letter should be addressed to a person by name rather than appointment.
· Contents: The letter should be so drafted that the first paragraph stands out and catches the notice of the addressee. In addition, the contents should manifest buoyancy. While following the principle of brevity, all your major accomplishments as distinct from duties performed should be highlighted. In other words, make the letter acceptable at first sight itself.
Perfect resume
A resume seeks to explain what you have done so far and how. It tells the other person about your familiarity with and understanding of various issues. It also illustrates your expertise. You should not think of yourself as more than merchandise that a willing employer would be ready to pay for; to that extent, a resume’s important attributes are:
· Sync: It should unambiguously be in harmony with your overall personality, aptitude and qualifications.
· Contact details: The resume should clearly mention your contact information; this would facilitate a prospective employer to get in touch with you at the first opportunity.
· Expertise: Inter alia, a resume should make your proficiency, competence, aptitude and strong-points stand out.
· Spotlight: Your resume should not be dwelling on your charter of duties and assigned responsibilities. On the contrary, it should be highlighting your academic and professional successes.
· Conciseness: If you are a fresher, a one-page resume should suffice. In respect of anybody else, not more than two pages are recommended. Remember that if it is long, chances are that the person reading it may miss out on your key attributes.
Facing the interview
You can be the most reclusive person by temperament; nevertheless the skill of faring well in an interview can come to you without difficulty. What it involves is gaining knowledge of some fundamental tenets and living out with them. A few rudimentary truths about an interview are:
· Initial impact: The first impression is always the last impression. The interviewer would have made a mental pronouncement about you in the initial three minutes itself; what follows subsequently is just a procedure. Inter alia, your interpersonal skills and dressing sense will always have an influence, the better they are, the better you will gel.
· Having hold: You ought to be trying to be in command of the pace and course of the interview. This implies that you should be making moves and not simply reacting. You should have prepared your questions well for any clarifications that you may like to seek.
· Objective: You should not lose sight of your aim – that you are merchandise being offered for sale. Reticence and diffidence may not pay.
Monitoring & quest
Having a timely system of follow-up is as significant and crucial as the other dominoes. Following-up and following-through comprises:
· Responses: You should be taking the initiative to establish contact with employers and seeking meetings or interviews. If you happen to receive messages, responding to them via post, e mail or telephone should invariably be done. Likewise, you should never falter in intimating your decision to accept or decline offers.
· Gratitude: Expressing thanks to any or everybody who has been of assistance is always in good taste. You never know that the same person can be of immense value subsequently.
A dedicated approach, sincerity of purpose and high degree of determination is essential to be maintained during all the five phases of a job search. Their importance as dwelt upon above notwithstanding, the fact needs to be understood that mental and physical feebleness at any stage will be a harbinger of fiasco and disappointment.
No comments:
Post a Comment