Great Tips for finding a job

Times are hard. Jobs are becoming more difficult to hold on to and even harder to get once you are forced to leave the one you have. The cost of living across the world is on a steep climb and bills and necessities are totally blind and deaf to your woes. What do you do? How do you cope with the growing recession?

First off, you need to get a few things straight. You need to change your mindset about employment. There are things that might have been practical or true a decade ago, but don’t apply to today’s environment anymore. So here are a few pointers. It’s all basic stuff that you might already know but haven’t realized, so I hope most people can relate to this and benefit from it.

1. It is a common belief that one should always go for job security. But the fact of the matter is that job security is a concept that we might as well forget about in these times. Bear in mind that the only security you have is the value you bring to your employer personally.
2. Also, if you believe that your education and training were enough to prepare you for the job you foresee yourself retiring in, think again. We are living in a world that is changing and evolving literally everyday, owing to the changes in technology and global economy. Good times or bad times, a job that may be stable and permanent today might not even be there tomorrow. Offshore outsourcing and growing technological advance are just two of the many factors that may replace you tomorrow.
3. Another thing that you need to remember: it’s not who you know that matters, it’s actually the other way around. It’s who knows you and what they know about you. You need to develop your personal brand. It’s all about the image you project, and that’s what people judge you on. So it’s always a good idea to stay active on social networking websites like Facebook and LinkedIn.
4. Identify your strengths. Focus on what you are good at. If you were to be randomly hired right now, how would you add value to your employer’s business? What too much of school and workplace has done to you is, that it has concentrated on correcting your weaknesses, not polished your strengths – an exercise that in most cases than not ends up in you becoming mediocre at what ever you do, despite the endless talent you posses in yourself. Developing your strengths will automatically overshadow your weaknesses.
5. Every meeting, every encounter and every conversation you have with someone is an interview. That is how you need to look at it. You never know where the next job opportunity will come from.
6. I have lost jobs on more than one occasion, and here’s what experience has taught me: Don’t ever be unemployed for a single day even. Do some freelance stuff, volunteer for an organization where you can use your talent to help others, keeping your mind occupied at the same time. Plus, it grows your human social network that might come in handy. But the biggest positive point is that it keeps your mind out of the cycle of negative thinking about being unemployed. And whenever you appear for an interview later, it would count as a plus that you haven’t been sitting home doing nothing but utilizing your talents and gaining experience.
7. Here’s a very crucial piece of information that most people aren’t aware of: At least 70% of available job openings are never advertised. Sticking to the routine methods of job hunting like online job portals, job boards, responding to news paper ads is what 95% of the job seekers out there are doing. In fact, when a job is advertised on the Internet by a reputable company, literally thousands of people apply for it, increasing the competition for you, making your hard to notice. Most jobs positions are filled through personal recommendations, referrals or connections. And that brings us to what I mentioned earlier – build a strong social network. You never know when or where the next interview call may come from.

And in conclusion, I will just say that keep your self confidence strong. Work on developing your inner self before you turn to your outer self. Employers out there are looking for people with strong characters, values, beliefs and their ability to get along with others. Training, skills, knowledge, education and experience are very important, but what makes the difference in the end is the kind of person you are.

Good Luck and Happy Job Hunting!