Job Search

Preliminary Steps:
Before you start searching for a job, you should have a clear and realistic career objective. What are your career interests? What type of job would do you like to have? Do you have required qualifications and experience for it? What compensation do you expect initially? These are certain matters on which you should take important decisions. Your professional objective should be a short term as well as long-term targets. As a first step, you should register your name in the employment exchange either in your district or city. You should also prepare a list of at least 50 organizations of repute where your services would be required.

On-line job search:

Your next strategy is how best you could market yourself to the employers. You have to communicate your values, talents and qualifications to the target market. This is done crafting a resume reflecting your credentials in respect your education, experience, skills, achievements etc. Now the major organizations resort to on-line job advertisements for recruitment to key positions. They want things to be done quickly, as postal service is tardy and snail-paced.

There are a number of job sites on the Internet today like naukri.dot.com, Yahoo.com, financial express dot.com etc. Job seekers can enter their resumes on the web site. Similarly, employers post their job requirements on the web site. Resumes and jobs can be matched using certain basis certain basic criteria like qualifications, experience, skills, job locations etc. The candidates themselves can run a search and go through the jobs that match their profile.

Employers can also search for candidates on the web site. They can easily inform a job seekers in their interest in his/her resume through e-mail. The job seekers on their part can independently contact the employer and inform him about their willingness to offer their services to the firm. There are certain sites which have the added facility of an e-mail notification service to keep employers and jobseekers updated about their positions. You can make the fully use of web-enabled recruitment facilities available on the internet by posting your resume on it. You can keep in touch with the already listed organizations and find out their requirements and also meet a few hiring agents.

Job Search - A Frustrating Experience:

A job search is by no means an enjoyable task. You can find a job but what matters is finding a right job. It may be a prolonged endeavour. In a country like ours, there are always constant rejections, which will be very frustrating and highly irritating as well.

More often you find that with all your better qualifications and superior skills, you are ignored in preference to less qualified persons. This may produce quite a lot of heart burning, stress and anxiety. You should not think that all hope is lost and all doors are closed on you. Disappointment and fear are great obstacles to progress. You should have a strong conviction that you will certainly find a right opening and be gainfully employed and it is only a matter of time for you succeed in your job search.

Profitable use of the period of unemployment:

The period of unemployment should not be spent in brooding over your in-activity. On the other hand, you should maintain a high level of activity and keep yourself profitably engaged. It is a period in which you can also develop yourself personally and professionally.

For example, if you have intentions of going abroad, you can prepare and appear for TOEFL, GRE and IELTS. A good score on one of these examinations will widen your scope for working in foreign countries. There are courses on communication skills, personality development, advanced computer study and other post graduate diploma courses, which can help you further your chances of getting appointment.

Seeking Temporary Jobs:

India is a country with plenty of scope for self-employment. If you are not able to get a job within a reasonable period, you can plan to take up simple self-employment as a temporary measure like offering tuition to students. I found in one of my publisher’s offices three full-fledged engineers fro reputed colleges typing my manuscript pm the computer. They work from 8.00 am. to 2.00 p.m. drawing a salary of Rs.3000/- a month each and them going round the city in search of jobs.

Job Search - Period of Planning:

During the period of unemployment, you have to meet plenty of people from all walks of life with a pleasing expression on your face, which will shake you of from the feeling of despondency. Your interaction with people will provide you with opportunities to know the world around you and the changing needs and requirements of the job market. Besides, you will also get their friendly cooperation in your job search. You must bear in mind that the unemployment phase is actually a period of planning and preparation for professional accomplishments and for reaching your career targets.
Hot Trends in Job Searching
With nearly 700,000 employees across the country, the field of human resources is a major U.S. industry that continues to develop and grow. But, unlike other industries, developments in the field of human resources affect all job seekers. The more you know about new technology, trends and future advances in the field, the better off you?ll be when it comes to looking for your next job. Keith Greene, director of organizational programs at the Society for Human Resource Management, and Gerry Crispin, an HR consultant and co-author of CareerXRoads, share what?s new in the HR industry and what the trends mean for job seekers.The Scannable R鳵m鼢r> Greene says that the biggest development in the industry is the increased use of technology by HR practitioners. Today, more companies are relying on computer programs to perform the first level of r鳵m頳creening. This means that your r鳵m頷ill likely be read by a computer before it reaches a real person.Applicant tracking systems are making it easier for hiring managers to pinpoint qualified candidates and sift through the thousands of resumes received each year. Computer applications review emailed or scanned resumes and pick up on pre-set key words that describe duties that are essential to the job. That means that if a position requires someone with specific computer skills or certifications, the software will scan resumes for those terms and automatically turn down any resumes that do not include the key words. Greene says it is, therefore, important for job seekers to understand the technology and use it to their advantage. ?With the sophistication of search engines, job seekers need to make sure they have key words in their resumes,? he says.Greene also notes that job seekers can help themselves by carefully reading job descriptions and tailoring their r鳵m頴o the job. ?Matching words in a r鳵m頴o key words in a job ad becomes really critical,? he says. This also means that it is more important than ever to customize your r鳵m鮠?Job seekers need to have fluid resumes. They need to be able to update them at the drop of a hat,? he says.If you are unsure about what key words to include in your r鳵m鬠Greene suggests networking to find out what the company is looking for. ?Talk to people at the company and ask them about their key words,? he says. The bottom line is that you must give thought to what words are included in your r鳵m鮼br> Improved Cover LettersAnother trend Greene has observed in the industry is the prevalence of ?Q-letters.? These letters are cover letters that are designed to address skills asked for in a job description or help wanted ad. The letters are typically set up in a two-column format. One column is the ?needs? side that lists the skills or experiences requested by the job description. The second column is the ?what I have? side that lists the applicant?s skills. Writing a cover letter in this fashion is an efficient and direct way to demonstrate just how you meet the company?s needs. ?HR people really like these letters,? says Greene.Enhanced Tools on Job Search SitesOnline job search sites, like inceptioninternational.com, continue to offer new and enhanced features for both individuals seeking jobs and companies searching for qualified candidates. inceptioninternational.com recently introduced a state-of-the-art job search engine with features that allow job seekers to zoom in on positions with the most relevance to their own experience using key words, geographical and salary criteria. Candidates who post their resumes on inceptioninternational.com gain exposure to 25,000 of the top employers in the nation. Like other electronic means, when posting your r鳵m頯r applying to jobs on these types of sites, ensuring your information is well-written and contains vital key words will increase your chances of an employer selecting your r鳵m頯r application for consideration.Company Web SitesBoth Green and Crispin say that another trend in the industry is a focus on company Web sites to accept job applications. These sites require applicants to cut and paste information directly into the site, rather than sending in a r鳵m頤ocument. ?This is again where key words come into play,? says Greene. Crispin agrees, and says that the industry as a whole is becoming more customer oriented. ?There is a trend to provide more and better information to job seekers through the company Web site,? he says. Many companies now have full sites dedicated to giving candidates information about the company and positions available, feedback to applicants and more. He says that, in light of this trend, it is even more important for job seekers to research company Web sites before applying for positions.The Basics Still RuleDespite any new advances, both Greene and Crispin say that some rules never change. Networking, personal contacts and employee referrals still stand as the best ways to get your foot in the door. And, says Greene, the rules haven?t changed when it comes to what not to do. No matter how or where you send in your r鳵m鬠?No typos,? he says. ?That?s a cardinal rule. A typo is the ultimate deal breaker.?