Job Search Tips

Searching for a new job is becoming a much more common occurrence these days, especially with all the layoffs from companies downsizing or even going out of business.  But searching for a job doesn’t need to be too painful, and there are many ways to make your job search easier.   Here are some job search tips:

Treat job hunting as though it is a full time job
You need to work on your job search every day, just as you would do a job.  If  it will help you, get dressed in work attire, sit down in your home office, and then start making those phone calls, searching online, networking, sending out your resume and cover letter, etc. Read more

Job Interview Tips

Job interview tips will help you to prepare for your next interview. Let’s face it job interviews are definitely not on the list of fun things to do, but if handled correctly, you can land that wonderful position you’ve applied for. Take some time to go over these tips before the big interview day arrives.

Dress for success. Dress conservatively, unless of course the interview is for a job at a trendy clothing store. Never turn up in casual clothes, even if the position is of a more casual nature. Keep your makeup, jewelry, make up and cologne toned down. You want your personality to be the spotlight here. If you’re not sure what is going to be best to wear, ask for guidance from someone whose opinion you respect. If you are applying for jobs, then plan ahead what you may need to wear, so if you need to add to your wardrobe, you have time to do so.

Prepare for the interview. There are many typical interview questions, so practice how you will answer them. If you don’t know what sort of questions to expect at your interview, then find out online or from an interview publication – there is a great guide that walks you through this here.  Even if you have to resort to talking to yourself in the mirror, practice, practice, practice.  You will feel much more confident and do better if you are well prepared.  The interviewer will also pick up on this.

Do your Research. Find out all you can about the company – their philosophy, best practices, future goals, direction headed, current issues and growing pains, etc.  Try to weave in this information during the interview, this will really impress them, and they will be glad you went the extra mile.  For an example, if you are interviewing for the position of medical billing for an HMO, you should at the very least, know what an HMO is compared to a PPO or traditional insurance.

Communicate clearly. You are selling yourself in an interview, and obviously they’re not expecting you to reply to their questions with one or two word answers. Each answer you give should be a statement, explain what you mean and give examples where possible.  Show them your accomplishments in your current position and let them know what benefits you could bring to them.

There is nearly always a question where you are asked about your weaknesses.  The trick is to turn your weakness into a strength. For example you could talk about a past weakness and how you’ve learned from it, or you can say your weakness is always expecting 200% from yourself and not being satisfied with anything less.  Have a think about the company and position you are applying for, and prepare your answers beforehand.

A job interview need not be as challenging as it seems if you go into it prepared and confident. In fact, preparing for the interview is an important component to the interview’s success.  To get expert help in preparing for any job interviews, try this guide which is full of hints and tips to help you succeed

Is a Great Resume Still Necessary?

Are Resumes Alive or Dead?

As more and more companies are using the internet to advertise their open job positions, prospective job hunters might begin to wonder whether a resume is still necessary. While it can be argued that certain aspects of job hunting have indeed changed, for example, using social media to help with the hunt, other processes have not.

A resume is very much still a vital part of being hired for a position. This is because a resume will showcase the amount of your knowledge, your achievements, and of course, your skills. It’s your opportunity to give a potential employer that great first impression, as your resume is going to be the first thing that they see.

Perhaps a better question might be, should I send a hard copy of my resume or am I better to send an electronic resume? Electronic resumes, (often referred to as e-resumes), are sent via electronic means, usually this would be through email, and are not delivered via snail mail or fax.

The answer to this would really depend on what the company has requested. Many companies are putting their job offers online, and they want the resumes and applications to come to them electronically as well. Each company should have its preferred method of receiving resumes listed and you should follow this to the letter. Make sure you are prepared for either option, and have a hard copy ready to mail and an e-resume, you can then send out the correct type of resume to any company you are applying to.

If sending your resume electronically is what you are doing, bear in mind there are several ways to do this, so read their instructions and send as they have requested, it could be:

Word document email attachment,
Text document typed right in the body of an email,
PDF attachment,
Cut and pasted onto the company’s resume page of their website.

Another great benefit to having an e-resume is that you can post it onto virtual job boards and job-related websites that accept them.

The older style paper resumes are still important as not every company has gone down the digital information path, and would be happy to receive an e-resume. Often it can be a good idea to follow up your e-resume with a paper copy sent via regular mail. You might also want a paper copy to bring along to interviews so you can refer to it if necessary.

Whichever way you are sending your resume, it needs to be the best it can be. It can often pay to use the services of a professional resume writing firm like , this one to make sure you have the best chance of success.

So to conclude, while some aspects of job hunting have changed, sending resumes continues to be an important part of the process. Make sure your resume is top class, and have both paper and electronic resumes at the ready and send either through the proper channels as requested. This way you are giving yourself the best opportunity you can, to obtain an interview