I hope that those of you who live in, or who might want to live in Oklahoma, took advantage of our recent job fair. There were many in attendance who frequented the different potential employers booths, learning about what openings their company has and what they anticipate having available in the near future.
Almost all of those looking for work were dressed appropriately, as if they were going to an actual interview and were prepared with resumes in hand to give to potential employers.I am sure that many who had been out of work for a long time had to put on their "game face" with a pleasant smile, a sparkle in their eyes and a spring in their step along with a good firm handshake. I know it is hard to do when you are down and out and feeling depressed but most stepped up to the plate, knowing that the outward appearance they presented was as important as the skills they possess.
When job fairs come to your city be sure to plan on attending. You never know, your new career could be there just waiting for you!
Good luck to all of you who are still looking for a new position.
Showing posts with label resumes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resumes. Show all posts
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Now What Are You Going To Do?
Start Reviewing Your Options Now!
On the front page of yahoo today, appeared a little blip “The Unemployed Need Not Apply”. Since I try to stay on top of what is happening in the job market of course I clicked on the link to find out more about this article http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/job-listings-unemployed-not-apply-133143362.html. There are ads currently by companies searching for employees who actually state that those who are unemployed are less attractive applicants and those who have been unemployed a long time need not apply! Talk about a slap in the face!
It is the truth and at least they are now stating up front and out for public view rather than what was once “hush hush” and only discussed behind closed doors.
Sure enough, it confirmed exactly what I have said for years and what I have been trying to stress to you all in my posts! It is easier to get a job when you have a job and there are many reasons for this.
Your not under as much pressure to accept an offer of employment that you feel will not meet your needs because you have got to get something…… anything…. just to put food on the table and a roof over your head!
Your demeanor is different when you go on interviews. There is a real smile on your face, not a fake pressured one, a spring in your step, a hardy handshake and a sparkle in your eyes.
Let me share with you some of my professional background. I have held positions in the past where I did many interviews of people who were searching for work. When I was a Credit Manager for a large retail furniture store in Austin, Texas, I interviewed people for employment in the office or in the warehouse. When I worked for a permanent placement employment agency, I interviewed people from entry to professional level who needed professional assistance in finding a new position. Working for a temporary agency, I interviewed people who were out of work and needing some type of work to bring in money, as well as those who preferred working on a part-time/temporary basis rather than seeking full time employment.
I have seen the various tolls that unemployment or underemployment takes on people. It shows all over you. In your eyes, your smile, and your body language and in your voice, you cannot hide it. The sparkle is not there in your eyes, the smile is forced, no spring in your step and your body is slumped at the shoulders as if you have been beaten and broken, a weak handshake and your voice lacks confidence. The longer you are out of work, the more these things become apparent to the interviewer.
The longer you are out of work the more reclusive you become and your self-esteem gets lower and lower. You begin to question your own worth and abilities. They were there before you became unemployed and they are still there now, but you have lost confidence in yourself.
One thing that I saw back when I was in those hiring positions were many women who were entering the work force in order to help bring income in because their husbands had lost their jobs or they were women who were newly divorced and now needed to work to care for themselves and in many cases their children. They had not worked in years and they worried about how they were going to find a position that would pay them enough to handle these new responsibilities of being the breadwinner of the family. Surprisingly enough, many of these women found work faster than the males who were looking for work. Back in those times (in the 1980’s early 1990’s) most people were able to find a new position before six months of unemployment and certainly within nine months. That is not the case in the last couple of years. Many people have been out of work as long as two and three years, even with their every effort to find employment. Companies have downsized and have not gone into a rehiring mode because of our very sluggish economy. We have not even begun to bounce back as we did back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, when we suffered a prior recession.
If you are fortunate enough to be drawing unemployment benefits, please I beg you, ask for the free assistance that is available at many of your state unemployment offices to help you revamp your resumes, to structure a new letter of introduction and give you tips on interviewing techniques.
Attend any and every job fair that comes to your area and continue to send out your resumes and go to interviews if offered in order to keep your interviewing skills up. Utilize your networking resources, friends, church, job boards on the internet, your social network pages such as face book, linked in and my space.
Begin to look at things that you can do at home to bring in money while you continue your job search. Review my archived articles for some ideas of places to look for work using the Internet. Look at your personal skills and see if there is a way that you can market them to others to earn an income.
On the front page of yahoo today, appeared a little blip “The Unemployed Need Not Apply”. Since I try to stay on top of what is happening in the job market of course I clicked on the link to find out more about this article http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/job-listings-unemployed-not-apply-133143362.html. There are ads currently by companies searching for employees who actually state that those who are unemployed are less attractive applicants and those who have been unemployed a long time need not apply! Talk about a slap in the face!
It is the truth and at least they are now stating up front and out for public view rather than what was once “hush hush” and only discussed behind closed doors.
Sure enough, it confirmed exactly what I have said for years and what I have been trying to stress to you all in my posts! It is easier to get a job when you have a job and there are many reasons for this.
Your not under as much pressure to accept an offer of employment that you feel will not meet your needs because you have got to get something…… anything…. just to put food on the table and a roof over your head!
Your demeanor is different when you go on interviews. There is a real smile on your face, not a fake pressured one, a spring in your step, a hardy handshake and a sparkle in your eyes.
Let me share with you some of my professional background. I have held positions in the past where I did many interviews of people who were searching for work. When I was a Credit Manager for a large retail furniture store in Austin, Texas, I interviewed people for employment in the office or in the warehouse. When I worked for a permanent placement employment agency, I interviewed people from entry to professional level who needed professional assistance in finding a new position. Working for a temporary agency, I interviewed people who were out of work and needing some type of work to bring in money, as well as those who preferred working on a part-time/temporary basis rather than seeking full time employment.
I have seen the various tolls that unemployment or underemployment takes on people. It shows all over you. In your eyes, your smile, and your body language and in your voice, you cannot hide it. The sparkle is not there in your eyes, the smile is forced, no spring in your step and your body is slumped at the shoulders as if you have been beaten and broken, a weak handshake and your voice lacks confidence. The longer you are out of work, the more these things become apparent to the interviewer.
The longer you are out of work the more reclusive you become and your self-esteem gets lower and lower. You begin to question your own worth and abilities. They were there before you became unemployed and they are still there now, but you have lost confidence in yourself.
One thing that I saw back when I was in those hiring positions were many women who were entering the work force in order to help bring income in because their husbands had lost their jobs or they were women who were newly divorced and now needed to work to care for themselves and in many cases their children. They had not worked in years and they worried about how they were going to find a position that would pay them enough to handle these new responsibilities of being the breadwinner of the family. Surprisingly enough, many of these women found work faster than the males who were looking for work. Back in those times (in the 1980’s early 1990’s) most people were able to find a new position before six months of unemployment and certainly within nine months. That is not the case in the last couple of years. Many people have been out of work as long as two and three years, even with their every effort to find employment. Companies have downsized and have not gone into a rehiring mode because of our very sluggish economy. We have not even begun to bounce back as we did back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, when we suffered a prior recession.
If you are fortunate enough to be drawing unemployment benefits, please I beg you, ask for the free assistance that is available at many of your state unemployment offices to help you revamp your resumes, to structure a new letter of introduction and give you tips on interviewing techniques.
Attend any and every job fair that comes to your area and continue to send out your resumes and go to interviews if offered in order to keep your interviewing skills up. Utilize your networking resources, friends, church, job boards on the internet, your social network pages such as face book, linked in and my space.
Begin to look at things that you can do at home to bring in money while you continue your job search. Review my archived articles for some ideas of places to look for work using the Internet. Look at your personal skills and see if there is a way that you can market them to others to earn an income.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A New Week Renew Your Vigor
Okay, so last week was a drag! You sent out 50 resumes, didn't get a single call back. The job boards on the Internet are looking mighty skimpy right along with your bank account! You are beginning to panic because there just doesn't seem to be anything out there and each week that goes by you are thinking how much longer can I hold on! The hamburgers and hot dogs are now being downsized to macaroni and cheese and poor man's spaghetti (that's made without meat in case you've never had it up until now) and hopefully there is enough in the cupboards to hold you till the next unemployment check comes in!
Before things get any worse, if you haven't looked over to the right side of this blog and taken advantage of the resources listed there, SHAME ON YOU! Start going down the list and get signed up at some of those places, use some of the search engines to put in new resumes and conduct job searches. Read some of the work at home material that is available over there. Believe me, trust me, you really and truly can find some decent places to work listed there. Many of them won't cost you a dime, others will only ask you for money to conduct background checks as the final step in the hiring process.
Each day this week, promise yourself you are going to send out no less than 20 resumes each day, that you are going to call at least 5 personal friends daily that you know and ask if they happen to know of any positions that might be available. Sign up with a Temporary Employment Agency, contact someone from your business contacts (such as your insurance agent, the coach of your son's football league,the pastor at your church, your dentist) and ask them if they might know of someone who would be looking to hire someone with your qualifications.
Expand your employment search area. Start looking at cities 25-50 even 100 miles away from where you are now. Research the largest employers within that city and send out resumes to them.
If you are thinking of working for an Internet Call Center, This Plantronics Noise Canceling Headset is an excellent buy.
Before things get any worse, if you haven't looked over to the right side of this blog and taken advantage of the resources listed there, SHAME ON YOU! Start going down the list and get signed up at some of those places, use some of the search engines to put in new resumes and conduct job searches. Read some of the work at home material that is available over there. Believe me, trust me, you really and truly can find some decent places to work listed there. Many of them won't cost you a dime, others will only ask you for money to conduct background checks as the final step in the hiring process.
Each day this week, promise yourself you are going to send out no less than 20 resumes each day, that you are going to call at least 5 personal friends daily that you know and ask if they happen to know of any positions that might be available. Sign up with a Temporary Employment Agency, contact someone from your business contacts (such as your insurance agent, the coach of your son's football league,the pastor at your church, your dentist) and ask them if they might know of someone who would be looking to hire someone with your qualifications.
Expand your employment search area. Start looking at cities 25-50 even 100 miles away from where you are now. Research the largest employers within that city and send out resumes to them.
If you are thinking of working for an Internet Call Center, This Plantronics Noise Canceling Headset is an excellent buy.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Wild Wacky Ways To Promote Yourself
Unemployment continues to climb and with each passing week that you are out of work, it becomes harder and harder to find a new job. It is expected that an additional 12,000 people will soon be joining you on the streets as the stimulus money that was used to create jobs in the private sector runs out. Employers will no longer want to continue keeping those workers on their payroll if the government is no longer picking up the tab for their salaries.
So now you have even more people, out there competing and you have not had a single bite on your applications and each passing week you are becoming more frantic about finding a position. So what are you going to do now? Have you posted your resume on every job board on the internet that you can think of? If not, get busy and do so. Are you using your social media sites to their full capacity? If you have a Face Book account but don't have a My Space or Linkedin account be sure to set one up. Post your resumes on your My Space and on your Linkedin account.
You can also create a blog and post your resume, set up several at different blogging websites. There are also places where you can create a free website, go ahead and take advantage of those locations.
Are you using your networking resources? Old classmates that you have stayed in touch with or have reconnected with through Face Book, My Space or Linkedin? Have you thought of asking other professionals that you know who might possibly know someone else that could create a lead? This would include ex-coworkers, others at competitor companies that you know in the same industry that you were in before being laid off, your minister, your dentist, your doctor, your insurance man and your neighbors. Spread the word to everyone you know that you are searching for a new job.
If you were in any type of management or executive position prior to being laid off, contact a "head hunter" personnel agency. Let them know right up front that you will not pay their fee to find you a job, that a company worth working for will be willing to pick up the tab to get someone with your skills. Oh believe me, they will try to get you to agree to pay either all or part of the fee, but tell them absolutely not. Stroke their ego, tell them if they are good at their job, then they know the company will pay!
If you attended or graduated from college, go see their alumni department for some assistance and leads. Ask someone to look over your resume and cover letter and make suggestions on how you might improve both for today's job market.
If you are just answering classified ads or sending out letters of inquiry for a position, you are losing out on the chance to be seen by a prospective employer. Get off the couch and go after that job you want!
Get dressed up in your interviewing clothes, grab your portfolio, fill your briefcase with resumes and put on your walking shoes. Make a list of companies in your city where you feel that your qualifications can be utilized. Map out your route and hit the trail! Start out early in the morning, say around 8:30AM and plan to keep going to different locations up until 11:30AM. Take a lunch break and then hit the trail again from 1:30PM to 3:30 or 4:00PM at the latest. Do this on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mondays and Fridays are terrible to try and get anyone to speak with you! Don't just "drop off " your resume, ask to speak to someone in the Personnel Department. Let them know you are looking for work and ASK if they presently have or anticipate having any positions available that can use your background. Summarize your best skills to tell them about and ask them to accept your resume for consideration when they do have positions become available.
Get really inventive and creative like some of those on Wall Street when they got laid off. They made "sandwich boards" with a summarized resume written on it and stating that they were looking for work. At this point, you need to do whatever you can to get an interview!
So now you have even more people, out there competing and you have not had a single bite on your applications and each passing week you are becoming more frantic about finding a position. So what are you going to do now? Have you posted your resume on every job board on the internet that you can think of? If not, get busy and do so. Are you using your social media sites to their full capacity? If you have a Face Book account but don't have a My Space or Linkedin account be sure to set one up. Post your resumes on your My Space and on your Linkedin account.
You can also create a blog and post your resume, set up several at different blogging websites. There are also places where you can create a free website, go ahead and take advantage of those locations.
Are you using your networking resources? Old classmates that you have stayed in touch with or have reconnected with through Face Book, My Space or Linkedin? Have you thought of asking other professionals that you know who might possibly know someone else that could create a lead? This would include ex-coworkers, others at competitor companies that you know in the same industry that you were in before being laid off, your minister, your dentist, your doctor, your insurance man and your neighbors. Spread the word to everyone you know that you are searching for a new job.
If you were in any type of management or executive position prior to being laid off, contact a "head hunter" personnel agency. Let them know right up front that you will not pay their fee to find you a job, that a company worth working for will be willing to pick up the tab to get someone with your skills. Oh believe me, they will try to get you to agree to pay either all or part of the fee, but tell them absolutely not. Stroke their ego, tell them if they are good at their job, then they know the company will pay!
If you attended or graduated from college, go see their alumni department for some assistance and leads. Ask someone to look over your resume and cover letter and make suggestions on how you might improve both for today's job market.
If you are just answering classified ads or sending out letters of inquiry for a position, you are losing out on the chance to be seen by a prospective employer. Get off the couch and go after that job you want!
Get dressed up in your interviewing clothes, grab your portfolio, fill your briefcase with resumes and put on your walking shoes. Make a list of companies in your city where you feel that your qualifications can be utilized. Map out your route and hit the trail! Start out early in the morning, say around 8:30AM and plan to keep going to different locations up until 11:30AM. Take a lunch break and then hit the trail again from 1:30PM to 3:30 or 4:00PM at the latest. Do this on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mondays and Fridays are terrible to try and get anyone to speak with you! Don't just "drop off " your resume, ask to speak to someone in the Personnel Department. Let them know you are looking for work and ASK if they presently have or anticipate having any positions available that can use your background. Summarize your best skills to tell them about and ask them to accept your resume for consideration when they do have positions become available.
Get really inventive and creative like some of those on Wall Street when they got laid off. They made "sandwich boards" with a summarized resume written on it and stating that they were looking for work. At this point, you need to do whatever you can to get an interview!
Monday, June 21, 2010
What Color is Your Parachute Revisited
Don't worry folks, I haven't forgotten about you!
I have finished going through all the exercises in the book, What Color is Your Parachute. I am finding it quite interesting on how some of my answers have changed over the years. The last time I used the book, I was in the middle of some major career changes. I was getting away from doing accounting type work where I had to do accounts payable and accounts receivable along with collection work and I made the switch to more creative endeavors which included selling and marketing and then getting into the personnel field full time. Later on I made another change to where I ended up in business for myself for about 3 years, where I was able to really get into a lot of creative design work, making gift baskets and the marketing end promoting the business. I even decided to try my hand at a year of substitute teaching after I retired.
Now that I no longer have children to support, being able to pursue my creative endeavors seems to be coming to the forefront. It is time to really do the things that I enjoy doing, be able to make some money while doing it but really enjoy the feeling of fulfillment that comes with following your passion.
I went to the library and picked up a current copy of What Color Is Your Parachute and I am so glad that I did. They have really revised this to the current job hunting market and there are references in there for you to get some of the evaluation tests on the Internet as well as an entire section on how to incorporate the Internet into your job search but also advising you not to limit yourself to that type of job hunting only. They also advise you on how to use the Internet to gather information about the companies that you are interested in interviewing with. If you are presently unemployed and working with your state unemployment office and they haven't advised you to get this book, they are missing the boat! Please, beg, borrow or purchase this book!
I can not stress enough the importance of adding this book to your own personal library! Let it guide you as you go through this very new job interviewing and hiring process.
So what have I learned? I am a creative, detail oriented, organized, self-motivated writer and teacher. I enjoy sharing information with others and seeing them be able to utilize what they have learned in order to be successful. I am at that stage in my life where I don't want to make a lot of money, I just want to live comfortably.
What are your traits, temperament and personality type:
Check out www.personalitypathways.com by Myers-Briggs for your personality type.
Then go to their home page www.myersbriggs.org for their testing resources.
You can go to www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp for some free tests that are loosely based on the Myers-Briggs tests.
Another good free test is the Keirsey Temperament Sorter at www.keirsey.com. This is also similar to the Myers-Briggs test.
Transferable skills tests for you to consider taking:
You can find some good sites to assist you determine what these are and even which job titles these skills will fall under. For a good test that will help you determine your transferable skills and a check list for you, check out the State of Wisconsin's Department workforce website at www.dwd.state.wi.us/dwd/publications/223e_28a.htm. Now this site will not point you to particular jobs but it is a very good site for you to check your skills at.
If you want something that will point you to particular jobs, try this www.vocrehab.com/webtsa.htm . You will need to register to use the site but the first transferable skills test is free.
Another site that you need to register at is the Career Tests at Hot Jobs but it also is free and very good. http://hotjobs.careerid.com/articles.html.
If you are just out of college or wanting to consider a new career field, I would suggest you take some of these tests. You will probably end up with some "light bulb" moments, pointing you in directions for a new career path that you might not have even considered before.
I have finished going through all the exercises in the book, What Color is Your Parachute. I am finding it quite interesting on how some of my answers have changed over the years. The last time I used the book, I was in the middle of some major career changes. I was getting away from doing accounting type work where I had to do accounts payable and accounts receivable along with collection work and I made the switch to more creative endeavors which included selling and marketing and then getting into the personnel field full time. Later on I made another change to where I ended up in business for myself for about 3 years, where I was able to really get into a lot of creative design work, making gift baskets and the marketing end promoting the business. I even decided to try my hand at a year of substitute teaching after I retired.
Now that I no longer have children to support, being able to pursue my creative endeavors seems to be coming to the forefront. It is time to really do the things that I enjoy doing, be able to make some money while doing it but really enjoy the feeling of fulfillment that comes with following your passion.
I went to the library and picked up a current copy of What Color Is Your Parachute and I am so glad that I did. They have really revised this to the current job hunting market and there are references in there for you to get some of the evaluation tests on the Internet as well as an entire section on how to incorporate the Internet into your job search but also advising you not to limit yourself to that type of job hunting only. They also advise you on how to use the Internet to gather information about the companies that you are interested in interviewing with. If you are presently unemployed and working with your state unemployment office and they haven't advised you to get this book, they are missing the boat! Please, beg, borrow or purchase this book!
I can not stress enough the importance of adding this book to your own personal library! Let it guide you as you go through this very new job interviewing and hiring process.
So what have I learned? I am a creative, detail oriented, organized, self-motivated writer and teacher. I enjoy sharing information with others and seeing them be able to utilize what they have learned in order to be successful. I am at that stage in my life where I don't want to make a lot of money, I just want to live comfortably.
What are your traits, temperament and personality type:
Check out www.personalitypathways.com by Myers-Briggs for your personality type.
Then go to their home page www.myersbriggs.org for their testing resources.
You can go to www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp for some free tests that are loosely based on the Myers-Briggs tests.
Another good free test is the Keirsey Temperament Sorter at www.keirsey.com. This is also similar to the Myers-Briggs test.
Transferable skills tests for you to consider taking:
You can find some good sites to assist you determine what these are and even which job titles these skills will fall under. For a good test that will help you determine your transferable skills and a check list for you, check out the State of Wisconsin's Department workforce website at www.dwd.state.wi.us/dwd/publications/223e_28a.htm. Now this site will not point you to particular jobs but it is a very good site for you to check your skills at.
If you want something that will point you to particular jobs, try this www.vocrehab.com/webtsa.htm . You will need to register to use the site but the first transferable skills test is free.
Another site that you need to register at is the Career Tests at Hot Jobs but it also is free and very good. http://hotjobs.careerid.com/articles.html.
If you are just out of college or wanting to consider a new career field, I would suggest you take some of these tests. You will probably end up with some "light bulb" moments, pointing you in directions for a new career path that you might not have even considered before.
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