Searching for a Job in Seattle

Is your job search off to a slow start or getting stuck? Here are some quick time-saving job search tips that will help your hunt for a new job go smoothly.

Be Prepared. Have a voice mail system in place and sign-up for a professional sounding email address. Consider getting a separate email account to use for your job search, so you can stay organized. Put your cell phone number on your resume so you can follow up in a timely manner.

Be More Than Prepared. Always have an up-to-date resume ready to send – even if you are not currently looking for work. You never know when an opportunity that is too good to pass up might come along. If you’re not on LinkedIn yet, create a LinkedIn Profile and start making connections who can help you job search.

Don’t Wait. If you are laid-off, file for unemployment benefits right away. You will most likely be able to file online or by phone. Waiting could delay your benefits check.

Get Help. Utilize free or inexpensive services that provide career counseling and job search assistance such as college career offices, state Department of Labor offices or your local public library.

Many libraries provide workshops, programs, classes, computers and printers you can use, and other resources to help you with your job search. Here’s more on getting job search help at the library.

Create Your Own Templates. Have copies of your resume and cover letter ready to edit. That way you can change the content to match the requirements of the job you’re applying for, but, the contact information and your opening and closing paragraphs won’t need to be changed.

Microsoft Word users can download free templates for resumes, cover letters and email messages which can be personalized for your own correspondence.

Review Samples. It’s always a good idea to look at sample letters and resumes to get ideas for your own job search materials. Take a look at our collection of resume, cv, and letter samples.

Use Job Search Engines. Search the job search engines. Use the job search engine sites to search the major job boards, company sites, associations, and other sites with job postings for you – fast. You will be able to search all the jobs posted online in one step.

Jobs by Email. Let the jobs come to you. Use job alerts to sign up and receive job listings by email. All the major job sites have search agents and some websites and apps specialize in sending announcements.

References Ready. Have a list of three references including name, job title, company, phone number and email address ready to give to interviewers. Print a copy of your reference list and bring it with you to interviews. Here’s how to create a list of references.

Use Your Network. Be cognizant of the fact that many, if not most, job openings aren’t advertised. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for work. Ask if they can help.

Get Social. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a good way to get job listings before they are listed elsewhere. Plus, you can promote your candidacy using the social media tools that are readily available for free for job seekers and companies are increasingly using social media for recruiting. Here’s how to get started with social networking.

 

Pointers to improve your resume in Bellevue

It’s deceptively easy to make mistakes on your resume and exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. So prevention is critical, whether you’re writing your first resume or revising it for a mid-career job search. Check out this resume guide to the most common pitfalls and how you can avoid them.

1. Typos and Grammatical Errors

Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If it isn’t, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you, like: “This person can’t write,” or “This person obviously doesn’t care.”

2. Lack of Specifics

Employers need to understand what you’ve done and accomplished. For example:

A. Worked with employees in a restaurant setting.
B. Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with $2 million in annual sales.

Both of these phrases could describe the same person, but the details and specifics in example B will more likely grab an employer’s attention.

3. Attempting One Size Fits All

Whenever you try to develop a one-size-fits-all resume to send to all employers, you almost always end up with something employers will toss in the recycle bin. Employers want you to write a resume specifically for them. They expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.

4. Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments

It’s easy to slip into a mode where you simply start listing job duties on your resume. For example:

  • Attended group meetings and recorded minutes.
  • Worked with children in a day-care setting.
  • Updated departmental files.

Employers, however, don’t care so much about what you’ve done as what you’ve accomplished in your various activities. They’re looking for statements more like these:

  • Used laptop computer to record weekly meeting minutes and compiled them in a Microsoft Word-based file for future organizational reference.
  • Developed three daily activities for preschool-age children and prepared them for a 10-minute holiday program performance.
  • Reorganized 10 years worth of unwieldy files, making them easily accessible to department members.

5. Going on Too Long or Cutting Things Too Short

Despite what you may read or hear, there are no real rules governing resume length. Why? Because human beings, who have different preferences and expectations where resumes are concerned, will be reading it.

That doesn’t mean you should start sending out five-page resumes, of course. Generally speaking, you usually need to limit yourself to a maximum of two pages. But don’t feel you have to use two pages if one will do. Conversely, don’t cut the meat out of your resume simply to make it conform to an arbitrary one-page standard.

6. A Bad Objective

Employers do read your resume objective, but too often they plow through vague pufferies like, “Seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth.” Give employers something specific and, more importantly, something that focuses on their needs as well as your own. Example: “A challenging entry-level marketing position that allows me to contribute my skills and experience in fund-raising for nonprofits.”

7. No Action Verbs

Avoid using phrases like “responsible for.” Instead, use action verbs: “Resolved user questions as part of an IT help desk serving 4,000 students and staff.”

8. Leaving Off Important Information

You may be tempted, for example, to eliminate mention of the jobs you’ve taken to earn extra money for school. Typically, however, the soft skills you’ve gained from these experiences (e.g., work ethic, time management) are more important to employers than you might think.

9. Visually Too Busy

If your resume is wall-to-wall text featuring five different fonts, it will most likely give the employer a headache. So show your resume to several other people before sending it out. Do they find it visually attractive? If what you have is hard on the eyes, revise.

10. Incorrect Contact Information

I once worked with a student whose resume seemed incredibly strong, but he wasn’t getting any bites from employers. So one day, I jokingly asked him if the phone number he’d listed on his resume was correct. It wasn’t. Once he changed it, he started getting the calls he’d been expecting. Moral of the story: Double-check even the most minute, taken-for-granted details — sooner rather than later.

 

Job Interview Tips

You’re almost there. Your resume landed you an interview and now it’s time to seal the deal. So what’s the best way to prepare?

To find the answer, I looked back on my interviews, sifted through research, and most importantly, asked employees from today’s most coveted companies. I tried to find deep insights beyond the typical “sit up straight!” and “dress to impress!” tips we hear too much.

Read More on Forbes

Critical questions to ask during Job Interviews in Bellevue

#1. Gather critical information about the unwritten requirements of the job.
Job postings are generally written by human resources and are likely to be somewhat vague. All too often, the hiring manager’s true needs will not be listed or prioritized appropriately. So, without first finding out additional information, it can be awfully difficult to present yourself as the ideal employee.

Be proactive, ask questions and assume the role of a consultant rather than simply a job-seeker. Moreover, do this as early into the interview as possible. It is only after you have gathered the specifics of the problems the manager is facing that you should begin selling yourself to the position. The following will be helpful in getting the interviewer to start talking:

  • What do you view to be the most critical aspects of the job?
  • In your mind, what needs to get done immediately?
  • How can the new person make your life easier?

#2. Overcome age-related objections.
One of the biggest stereotypes younger managers hold against mature applicants is that they are set in their ways and reluctant to take direction. You can address this misconception by opening up the dialogue with questions that show you welcome the opportunity to learn.

Further, you want to let them know that you thrive on change and new challenges. Because people make up their minds about you within a very brief amount of time (first impressions), you want to counteract any stereotype about your age as quickly as you can.

Preface your questions by saying something like, “I enjoy being challenged and learning new things…”

  • In your estimation, what are the major demands of the position so that I might continue to increase my knowledge and grow my skill sets?
  • How do you see the work moving forward as the technology develops? (Be sure to underscore how you enjoy keeping current with the latest advancements in your field.)

#3. Help the hiring manager define his or her true needs. Many times (especially if the position is new), hiring managers may not recognize the specifics of what they truly hope to accomplish. You can help them clarify these outcomes by asking open-ended questions about the ultimate goals of the position:

  • What do you consider to be the most pressing objectives and/or goals of the job?
  • How will a successful employee in this position benefit your team and your desired outcome overall?

Follow up with, “If I’m understanding you correctly, you are looking for someone who can…” and then explain how your skills and experience are a match with their needs.

#4. Show you have done your homework and are knowledgeable about the job, the organization and the field in general.
You want to present yourself as a knowledgeable insider— someone with the skills, experience and personal strengths for the job. You also want to let your interviewer know that you took the time to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the particulars of the position and the goals of the company.

Prepare open-ended questions that will underscore these facts. You can even begin with the phrase, “Well, I’ve done my homework and…”

Job interviews are your time to show how your skills, experience, attitude and enthusiasm will support the needs and goals of the hiring manager. This can only be done if you have a thorough understanding of what is involved. So ask open-ended questions often and early. Take on the role of consultant and make this conversation a true exchange of information and ideas.

By posing smart questions, explaining how you can make a difference and presenting yourself with confidence, you will make that all important, powerful first impression. In fact, with a little luck and the right timing, chances are good that your well-positioned, open-ended questions just might help you get the offer and land the job!