Looking for work isn’t just about sending in resumes and polishing up
our spin; for a lot of us, looking for work is really putting ourselves
on the line. It’s a time of re-evaluating, sometimes of soul-searching
and, if you’re like most of us, a time when self-esteem is definitely in
the line of sight. Here are five job-seeking habits that can do with an
update; avoid these and your path to better employment will be easier.
It’s not about appearing old-fashioned; old-fashioned manners, for
instance, should be more in style than ever. It’s about appearing
unengaged in the changing world around us. Inspired by an article on
Yahoo! Finance.
Keep It Simple
You don’t need a nice paper to impress your new employer. It’s not
the way you want to stand out. You want to stand out because of your
experience, your familiarity with the industry or your evident interest
in learning new skills. Generally, you’ll be emailing your resume
anyway. Don’t go crazy with formatting; as anyone who works across a
range of computers will know, formatting is not universally set. What
looks grand on your PC might be a dog’s breakfast on a Mac. Keep it
simple, keep it clean and clear.
To Whom It May Concern
I started work as a teenager with a solicitor who had graduated the
bar sometime in the 50s. ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ was appropriate in that
context. It’s not so appropriate in modern-day job hunting. ‘To Whom It
May Concern’ falls under the same category. Find out a name, do a quick
LinkedIn search and you should be fine.
Hire Me, Please
You want to show you’re keen to work and learn new skills. You do not
want to show you will do anything to get the job. If I were hiring
someone, I think begging would do nothing more than make me feel
uncomfortable. Think about any situation in life when someone has begged
you for something- it’s not appealing is it? So, instead, just work on
being yourself in the interview. It’s no easy task, and don’t
necessarily start busting out your off-kilter humour right away. Hiring
is so often a case of matching personalities, of gut instinct and of
trust. Aiming to be anyone other than yourself is not going to get you
anywhere fast.
Day To Day
When I was learning to write resumes, we were told to list our daily
tasks, what we did in each job. People don’t have that kind of time
anymore. Choose the two or three biggest achievements of your previous
job, and put them in bullet points. People don’t need to know how good
you are at envelope stuffing. They’ll be relieved to find out you can
express yourself pithily and without hyperbole.
Teacher’s Pet
It’s great to know about the company, but this isn’t Year Four where
you want your teacher to put a star next to your name. As the Yahoo!
article suggests, what would you do if it were a business meeting? You
would know your stuff but wouldn’t have any need to trot it out at every
opportunity. Asking relevant, informed questions is good. Reciting
their AGM minutes is not so great.
No comments:
Post a Comment