In the old days, if you needed a job, you could pretty much find one anywhere. Nobody really had to have college degrees to get a great job, and many people found jobs that they trained on-the-job in, and spent their entire lives in the same career. You really only had to worry about going to college if you wanted to be a doctor or a nurse. These days, it seems like you can’t get a decent job or a good paying job unless you have a college degree.
Added to this is the fact that the economy is looking pretty shaky at best, and there are more people on the job hunt than ever before. So needless to say, the competition is going to be fierce. If you want to be one of the lucky ones who actually get the job they are after, then there are a few things that you should remember:
- Set Your Goals! When you get started, you simply must have a goal in mind. Do you want to work at a call center for a while and go back to school in the evenings to be a medical transcriptionist? If so, you need to know this from the beginning so that you can tailor your action plan to fit these specific needs. Setting your intention can save you a lot of time and maybe even a lot of money in the long run.
- Spruce up your Resume! Work on making your resume the very best that it can be. The odds are that your resume might be a little sparse, especially if you have recently graduated from college. You may know everything about your career of choice, but many employers are looking for a certain amount of experience from potential employees. This can hurt your chances of getting the job. Remember that you are a package deal. However, a good resume can get you quite far.
- Network, Network, Network! You need to work on getting your name out there. You will find that if you talk to everyone around you, and maybe even get on some job related communities online, that you will find a lot of people who know whose hiring and who is better to work for. This can help you out a great deal when you are desperately searching for a job.
- Make Time For Interviews! If you were an employer, and you called a potential candidate to bring them in for an interview, and that candidate couldn’t make it, would you go back a second time or try to reschedule more than once? Nobody else would either. When you start your job search, you need to keep in mind that companies will call you in for interviews and you must be able to get there. You must also be able to get there on time and look professional.
These are only a few of the tips that can help you along the road to getting a great job. It may benefit you to look online, as there are thousands of job hunting websites out there who can give you the insider tips and tricks to landing an interview and snagging the perfect job.
David Couper is a career coach and writer who for the last twenty years has worked in Europe, Asia, and in the USA with major organizations including the BBC, Fuji Television, Mattel, Sony, and Warner Bros.
He has successfully coached individuals at all levels including CEOs of major companies wanting a new challenge, frustrated souls wanting to make their dream come true, and front-line employees laid off and desperate to get a job.
David has published seven books. His works on interpersonal skills, counseling in the workplace, and management issues (published by Connaught, Gower, HRD Press, Longman, Macmillan/Pearson Publishing, Oxford University Press) have been translated into Swedish, Polish, and Danish, and published in the UK and the USA.
David has a degree in Communication, a postgraduate qualification in education, is certified in a number of training technologies, and has a Masters in Psychology. He is a member of the American Society of Training and Development, Society of Human Resources Professional, Writers Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television.
He has dual US/UK citizenship and speaks French and Japanese.
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