Keep yourself motivated. Create a vision board if you need to, read inspiring quotes on your morning commute. Do whatever you need to, to keep going. Professionals have trudge through the valley to reach their mountain top moment — you’re no exception. When things get hard, don’t cave under pressure. Use your struggles as an opportunity to learn and grow professionally. Try not to complain. It will only bring down both your morale as well as the
Create your position. Don’t just sit around waiting for your “dream job” to open. Study the industry or field that you’re looking to move into, and determine a company or two that you’d like to work for, Hockett says. “Then figure out their challenges through relationships or public information. With this, you can craft a solution for them that you can share directly or publically through a blog, for instance. The concept here is to get noticed through offering a solution to help them with no expectation of anything in return.”
Start with self-assessment. Before starting your job search, take time, to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and the type of work you like accomplishing. The better you know yourself, the more likely you’ll find a new job that provides you with greater satisfaction.
Conduct critical research. Information is the true secret of a successful job-search. Gathering information on types of jobs, job openings, and prospective employers (and those employer’s hiring managers) not only provides critical information for tracking down real job leads, but helps you in tailoring your resume and preparing for the job interview.
If you’re like me, your LinkedIn profile is much more up to date than your actual resume. But if you need to update your resume fast for an available opportunity, don’t spend hours on your computer. Instead, export your LinkedIn profile into a classy looking resume using LinkedIn’s Resume Builder .
Instead of using the URL that LinkedIn assigns you with letters and numbers, customize it so it contains your name and the career field or job title you want to go into. (You can do this by clicking “edit profile” and clicking “edit” next to your LinkedIn URL.) This extra keyword will help when recruiters are searching for you, and sticking the URL on your resume will encourage recruiters to head to LinkedIn to learn more about you.
Here are seven etiquette tips that will enhance your reputation throughout your job search (and beyond):
1. Be courteous to everyone, everywhere all the time. Of course it should go without saying that you need to be polite to everyone when you are being interviewed. But you never know what cameras record in the reception area, or if your muttering in the restroom is unknowingly addressed to the hiring manager you are about to formally meet for the first time.
Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale and U.S. News blogger, counseled in a recent tweet: “Be courteous in the gym – it’s possible your next prospect [i.e. hiring manager] is working out next to you.” (@smoothsale)
2. Don’t waste people’s time. Hiring managers, human resources professionals and recruiters are all busy. Don’t be the person who keeps applying to the same job multiple times in the same week in order to keep popping up on the radar.
When you are in an interview, keep your answers short, focused and to the point. Sometimes searches take longer than anyone anticipated. You can be sure that if you are the No. 1 candidate, you’ll be getting called along the way. Don’t allow yourself to be seen as a pest by overly frequent or demanding communications. Recognize that sometimes no news is simply that: no news.
3. Listen carefully to what people ask. For example, “Tell me about yourself” isn’t a historical question about how you got to where you are. Instead, it asks about what kind of person and professional you are.
Of course, you should be well prepared to talk about any aspect of your professional life in an interview. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should give an all-encompassing narrative when it hasn’t been requested. Make sure you are answering the questions people actually ask, rather than the questions you want or expect them to ask.
4. Listen carefully to what people say. For example, it is typical for a hiring manager to describe the job or how the company goes about things at the beginning of an interview. It is the kiss of death when, later in the same conversation, you ask for information you’ve already been given. Of course, you can ask for a clarification or an expansion of an earlier subject, but don’t do so in a way that suggests you never even heard the information that a person has just conveyed to you!
5. Turn off your phone. When you are in a business meeting, nothing conveys a sense of “you’re not worth paying attention to” or “you aren’t my highest priority at this moment” than fidgeting with or answering your cell phone. Make a point of leaving your phone home, in the car or at least entirely turned off. Your interviewer deserves and expects your undivided attention.
6. Dress appropriately and take care of your personal appearance. Most professionals are expected to wear business attire (so for men, no khakis, jeans or open collar). Yet there are many settings where business casual is accepted and even expected. If you have any doubt at all, don’t hesitate to inquire of the person who invites you in for the interview. If you are expected to show up dressed one way, and you fail to conform, it will likely be seen as a sign of disrespect.
7. Extend your appreciation, and promptly follow up all interviews. A thank you note is expected generally by email the same day as the interview, and certainly not longer than the next day. If you promise other information, such as references for samples of your work product, be prompt in supplying them. It is simply rude not to follow up and recognize the courtesies that have been extended to you.
Happy hunting!
Source: US News
Take care to answer the questions
When interviewers ask for an example of a time when you did something, they are asking behavioral interview questions, which are designed to elicit a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don’t answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.
Ask questions
When asked if they have any questions, most candidates answer, “No.” Wrong answer. Part of knowing how to interview is being ready to ask questions that demonstrate an interest in what goes on in the company. Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to find out if this is the right place for you. The best questions come from listening to what you’re asked during the interview and asking for additional information.
There’s a commonly held myth that asking questions is a sign of weakness. However, when directed at the most successful people in your industry, the exact opposite is true. Asking questions helps you expand your knowledge base, which will open you up to new and exciting opportunities. Asking questions also shows an inherent interest in your industry, proving that you’re a diligent, thoughtful worker.
Successful people never have the attitude that certain tasks are outside of their job responsibilities. If you want to be a manager, then you need to know how every person in your department does their job. That means that you have to take off the blinders and be open to experiencing new things whenever you get the chance.
Even the most successful CEOs and entrepreneurs make time to go to educational seminars and take classes at local colleges. In fact, many successful business professionals have multiple college degrees that apply directly to their line of work. While you don’t have to pursue a Ph.D, you should at least explore educational opportunities that could potentially advance your career. If you’re a sales professional who deals with people all day, then enroll in some psychology courses to learn more about the human psyche and improve your sales techniques. Simply investing in your education will help you make the most out of your career.
Does your company have a client that no one else wants to service? Then this is your chance to learn more about handling difficult customers. When you take on new challenges, you expand your resume and you often surprise yourself at how much you already know.
Part of feeling fulfilled in your career is being able to share what you know with others. If there are new people working for your company that seem to be struggling, then pull them aside, offer a hand, and help them reach success. Your personal career success is only complete when you’re able to share that knowledge with others and help to influence a new generation of people in your field.
There’s always a new height you can achieve and new goals you can reach in your career. The key is to identify those goals, and then put together a plan to achieve them. Instead of coasting along in your job, you should always have short- and long-term goals to push your career forward.
One day, you might look around your office and realize that you’ve completely maximized your potential with your current employer. Does that mean that you’ve maximized your career? No, it means that it’s time for you to move on to that next step in your adventure. You should always keep your employment options open and never be afraid to take that next step in your personal development.