Community Employment Outreach

by Robin Ryan, author, career counselor

Losing your job is one of the more stressful events that life can bring. Everyone hates those feelings of rejection, and fear that you might not get another job, or get paid as much as before. Two major mistakes you need to avoid are: First, don’t bad mouth or burn your bridges with the employer letting you go. Second, don’t immediately race to call everyone you know asking if they have a job you can apply for.

You need to engage a hiring strategy and make a good action plan to be successful. Here’s how to get started.

Assess your marketability. Do you need to update your skills? Maybe a few classes would make you a stronger candidate; for example, many people can benefit by taking a computer class or two. Take a good hard look at your industry — maybe it’s wiser to change fields. You might need to pursue some education to accomplish a change from “financial services” to “healthcare,” based a the job type you want, but you don’t always have to start over. You may already have the skillset needed to transfer to a new industry. Read, go to association meetings, interview those working at the job you are considering, or work with a career counselor to determine the best route to move you into the new field.

Write a top notch resume. Employers want to see specific results and accomplishments. Electronic resumes need keywords to have employers find you online. The biggest mistake I see is people creating old-fashioned general resumes that read like boring job descriptions. Those using small type, having more than two pages, or not showing accomplishments are not viable examples of your actions and results. Resumes get a 15-20 second glance so noting specific results is what will get an employers’ attention. Define how you have saved time, increased productivity, cut costs and added to the bottom-line. To find out if your resume will stand out, take our Resume Assessment Quiz.

Use job hunting strategies that work. 63% of all jobs last year were found through contacts according to the Department of Labor. Others can pass on leads and introductions, even forward your resume on to a hiring manager, to insure you get a look. Join and attend professional meetings, making an effort to meet two people to add to your network. If you have a favorite company you wish to get into, search your network and theirs to find someone inside to help you. Some websites are better than others to find job listings. To find my recommendations on effective sites CLICK HERE.

Be well-prepared when the employer calls. Expect your first conversation to be over the phone and to be a screening interview. Mess this up and you’re out. ( Read my article on handling screening interviews for tips.) Prepare! Start the interview in the best possible way: when the interviewer asks the, “Tell me about yourself” question, forget about an autobiography. Use the 60 Second Sell. This technique has you analyze the job duties the employer wants accomplished, then select your top five selling points — your strongest abilities, experience and skills — that demonstrate that you can do the job. Link these five points together in a few sentences and you have created a verbal business card that is the most effective way to begin and to close the interview. Keep the momentum going with well-prepared answers to questions, and be sure to practice before you ever face the interviewer. Read “60 Seconds & You’re Hired!” to craft good answers to even the hardest questions.

Negotiate the salary. The biggest salary increases are the result of negotiating effectively with the new employer. That means you must first know exactly what your skills are worth in the marketplace so you do not undersell yourself. If you aren’t certain, click here to use our salary survey tool.

For more job search help and articles click here to go to our website. http://www.robinryan.com/
Copyright 2008 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.