President Elect Barrack Obama as promised 2.5 million jobs in the next 2 years. This will help out the global economy. But there are people need jobs now and in order to compete in today’s market you will need to think outside the box.
In 2008 alone, already 100,000 jobs and have been cut from the financial sector. This means that the financial sector is the highest industry of job loss so far, even more than the auto industry. Job loss in the financial sector signals the job loss of both blue and white collar workers all over the world. Job loss trickles down, and job loss in the financial industry signals job loss in the administrative categories.
In order to successfully compete in today’s job market you will need to plan your job search to stand out from the crowd, and think outside the box.
Standing up from the crowd is not as difficult as it may sound. Common wisdom says to dress well, have a well written resume and be polite to the interviewer. Many people do not follow this simple advice. If you wear clean, neatly pressed business attire, you will already be on the road to standing out from the crowd. Your resume be easy to read and include keywords of the profession for which you are applying.
Interview skills are a necessity. If you can have a friend or relative who can help, have them do a mock interview with you. It is also wise to take the time to read some books on interview questions and answers. Don’t just read the books for job seekers but also read the books that are intended for interviewers. Always be polite to the interviewer. If you have demands regarding hours, salary, or any other issues bring it up in a polite businesslike manner. You don’t want to look like you are trying to make friends with the interviewer, you want them to picture you as a great fit for the position, but you do want to be friendly. Stay away from asking them personal questions.
Thinking outside the box while doing your job search will probably bring you the greatest results. You may want to forget applying for positions in large retailers or corporations. Either sales are down, or many other people are also turning in applications with these companies, or both. Smaller companies and franchises are hiring in greater numbers than the large, big box companies. While smaller companies may have less employees per location, there are more small companies than there are large companies. The small companies are affected much quicker when they lose an employee, or gain so much new business that their current staff can’t keep up. These companies are more likely to have a position open, and not have as many people applying for employment. Small banks are doing a lot of business now that some of the big banks have disappeared. This is an excellent industry to look for employment.
Out of the Box thinking does not mean you should do something wild just to get attention of prospective employers. Always give the impression that you are a professional and would be an asset to their business. If there is anything you want the interviewer to have an opinion of you, it is that you would be of value to the company.
2 Comments
Problogineer
December 6, 2008 at 01:12Nice tips…
But we earn online, and so no need for this 😆
Ferar
March 8, 2009 at 09:03I am always searching for online resources that can help me. Thank you!