Few things can be more stressful or induce more anxiety than being unemployed. Not only do you have to deal with financial problems caused by the lack of income, but you have to spend time looking for a new job. To make things easier on yourself, use the following tips to speed up the job hunt.
You should continue to do good work at your current job while seeking a new job. This does not give you the option to slack off at your current job. Your potential employers could hear about it as well. Success is putting your best foot forward at all times.
Knowing how much others are earning in your line of work will assist you in deciding what to expect to be paid for your job. It’s not uncommon for people to make the mistake of low balling the amount they ask for up front, because they’re afraid of the employer saying no. Although there is some truth to this, asking for too low of a salary can make you appear desperate.
When you are applying for a job, make sure that the job will make you happy. Often you will become so concerned with the amount of money the job pays, that you will disregard the quality of life that it will bring you. Always balance the monetary and practical benefits of a job.
Proofread your resume before going to a job interview. To ensure your resume is free of spelling or grammar errors, have a friend or family member look it over as well. Nothing makes a person seem worse at a job interview than a resume filled with careless errors. It could even prevent you from getting a job.
Make sure that you send a thank you note to all of the people that have given you interviews. Sometimes people choose other candidates, but they will keep you in mind for future positions just because you are courteous. Send the note a day or two after the interview so they can remember who you are.
Answer any phone calls as though you were answering a call from your boss. A professional greeting makes a good first impression and gets the ball rolling in the right direction. You’ll make a good impression on any potential employers who call, although you may initially confuse some of your friends with such a formal greeting.
Get in touch with references listed on your resume to make sure they are still valid. You would hate for an employer to call one of your references to discover that it is not completely accurate. Verify that the location information for your references is correct.
Don’t lie on your resume about your skill sets. You may feel like you need to stretch the truth to open doors, but more often than not your lack of the skills, in reality, will be found out pretty easily by a savvy interviewer. Instead, teach yourself the skills you need to know to make you more attractive to hiring companies.
You should create an email that reflects your job interests when searching for a job. Avoid using personal email addresses that sound too laid back. For example, “eagerplumber5555” sounds a lot better than “sexyhotguy88.” You want people to think of you as a strong professional, not someone that is looking to goof off.
You can land a good job if you have a great resume. Show all of the jobs that you had in the past and your skills to go along with it. It needs to include your educational and job experience. You should also include any volunteer experience, and make sure your contact information is current.
Do not lie in your interview. You may have an interviewer that checks out what you said to them, and that can make you disqualified. While they may not always check up on you, somewhere along the line they can find out when they see you don’t have the experience you told them you have. Win your interviewer over with honesty and interest.
Always continue to learn skills related to your position. The business world is always changing. There are new technologies and new methods that come around every single year. If you fall behind, you may find that your position is not as secure as you’d like it to be. To remedy, always be learning. That way your skills will be extremely hard to replace.
Keep your resume to one page. For the majority of people, a resume one page long is enough to get your story across. Longer resumes have a tendency of getting trashed before ever getting considered. So unless you’ve got a wealth of experience that just can’t fit on a single page, aim for brevity.
Do not accept a job offer before reviewing the contract. You need to figure out how much you will pay and get a detailed list of your job duties. If the job includes benefits, ask for a detailed description of these benefits. Ask all your questions before singing a contract.
Make sure your references know they are your references. Don’t use a college professor from 10 years ago on a whim. When companies contact your references, your references need to know to expect those calls and emails so they are looking out for them. Not only that, but wouldn’t you also appreciate a heads up that someone might call you?
With any luck, you will be employed again shortly after reading this article. By using the solid, proven advice in it, you can give yourself a better chance of landing that perfect position. Remember, be patient and focused, and do not let yourself become discouraged. Before long, you will have a job again!
