If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you may have noticed how many people are currently out of work. Thanks to the economic crisis, many people have lost their jobs or have had their hours reduced. You might be one of these people, in which case the following article can help you get a job.
Make sure to keep your resume updated when you are looking for a job. You do not want a company that is interested in you to have a hard time reaching you. If they cannot get in touch with you right away they will look for someone else to fill the position.
Before you even apply for a job, be sure that your resume is as up-to-date as possible. List any past job that you can think of, as trivial as a job may seem The more experience you have in a specific industry, the more likely you are to land a job.
Learn how to translate your job skills. There have been several industries that have taken substantial hits, and they will not be recovering anytime soon, so you may have to look outside of your field for some opportunities. Furthermore, keep track of which fields have grown recently. Using this knowledge can help you see how your skills can be translated for these growing opportunities. You can also use apprenticeships, internships, and some part-time transition roles.
When looking for a job, keep your options open. There are many great places to find open positions. The Internet is a great resource with websites such as Monster.com and Craigslist that regularly have job openings. The newspaper is a great place to look, as well as applying directly at the business.
If a full-time job is not readily available, consider working part-time as a contractor in your field for the time being. This may get your foot in the door with a company. Recruiters also do not like to see huge time gaps in an applicant’s employment history. So, working part-time can make that gap smaller.
The quickest way to find jobs online is to use a job search engine. This type of site indexes all the major job boards, allowing you to search them all at the same time. I highly recommend Indeed.com as it found my husband the job of his dreams!
When all else fails, hire help to write your resume. A professional resume will not only look good and read right, but it will also be written in such a way that job boards like Monster.com will highlight you in the right searches. Professionals know which terms to use to get noticed.
Get out there and attend many functions. First and foremost, attend any professional association gatherings that are pertinent to your area. This is a great place to find out about openings and make important personal connections. Also attend alumni events for your alma mater and make connections with other alumni that may be able to help you in your search.
Create several resumes. If you are an older job seeker with lots of varied and diverse experience, sort through that experience to target the job you are seeking. You don’t have to list every kind of experience you ever had, and you should avoid doing so because it will make your resume too long and difficult for your prospective employer to sort out.
Many of us turn to the internet in our quest to find a job. The majority of jobs, however, are not found over the internet, so don’t make this your sole strategy. You will likely need to call prospective employers and go to their offices to introduce yourself and try to get your foot in the door.
Run through a practice interview before heading to a real one. It really doesn’t matter who it is; for example, it could be a close friend or family member. You will get the chance to react to various interview scenarios. Your partner can provide you with feedback as to your demeanor and body language, so you can make any necessary modifications.
Be careful about how you answer the usual trick questions when you go to a job interview. What are your weak points? What was wrong with your last position? Questions like these are geared to force you to speak in a negative light, either about yourself or your previous employer. Always have positive answers prepared for this type of question.
As an older job seeker, you should pick and choose which skills to list. Keep up with recent technology and be sure to list those skills. Leave off older skills such as working an adding machine or carbon copy credit card machine. These things don’t matter, and you might end up spending an inordinate amount of your interview time explaining them to your potential teenage supervisor.
Don’t let the news reports discourage you. Yes, there are a lot of people out of work, and you may be one of them, but you don’t have to be. You can rise from the ranks of the unemployed to get a job. Remember what this article has to offer and good luck job hunting.
