The purpose of the informational interview is to gain career advice, learn about the industry, gather additional referrals, and hear about first-hand job experiences pertaining to your particular field. A networking letter is a way to introduce yourself to people in the industry; therefore you want to sound professional. Most networking letters will be at the suggestion of a mutual acquaintance. If this is the case, let the person know who referred you. If not, you should find a logical reason of why you are writing that particular person; such as you recently attended a seminar of theirs. Your letter should state specifically what you hope to gain from the interview. You should be polite, to the point and express your appreciation for their time and consideration.
Give them a bit of your background and where you want to go in your career, but leave out your whole CV. It's not about getting a job, it's to get advice. Instead, take your CV with you on the interview so if they request a copy you are prepared. Lastly, be sure to follow up your letter with a phone call and a thank you letter after the interview.
Networking letters can also be used as a follow up to an initial phone conversation or meeting. In this instance you want to thank them for their time, briefly re-cap the conversation and any action items that resulted. This letter serves two purposes. One, it provides a means of re-stating your qualifications and interest, and two; it serves as a written record of your contact. When you are actively job searching you will probably talk with and meet many people. It's important to stay on top of your correspondence and keep it organised.
Of course in order to write a networking letter, you have to have someone to write to! To create a list of potential network partners think about everyone you know. This includes your friends, family and relatives (even distant ones), community contacts, alumni and teachers, professional organisations you belong to, as well as co-workers. It's amazing how willingly people will share contact information and offer leads.
When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk
JobBud.co.uk is the Biggest for Jobs in Wales. Offering Jobseekers a wide range of job search tools in adition to careers guidance. Freelancer's can bid on projects. Employers and Recruitment Agenies all over Wales benefit from unlimited free job adverts.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Social Network Sites - The Pitfuls
A 2007 survey conducted found that 77% of potential employers use search engines to learn more about candidates for jobs. Of those who use sites such as Google and Yahoo! to check the background of job seekers, 35% have eliminated a candidate from consideration based on the information uncovered online.
A separate survey, reveals that while 82% of job candidates expect companies and recruiters to enter their name into a search engine during the course of their next job search, an overwhelming 33% of the job seekers have never actually conducted a search of their own name to determine what information about their personal or professional lives exists online.
What does this mean for job seekers and those wanting to advance in their career? It means that companies and corporations are taking a traditional background check a step further and it is becoming a trend for employers to go beyond Google and Yahoo and check social networking sites before hiring an employee. The primary reasons employers use for extending the background investigation to include social networking sites was to scan for illegal activity, provocative images, poor communications skills, or any sharing of potentially confidential information from a previous employer.
Since you may never know who may be scanning your profile, pictures, or gathering other data from your blog, you do need to follow some guidelines so that your next job isn’t lost due to carelessness.
Search for yourself online. Enter your own name into search engines periodically to stay informed on what personal and professional information exists online. Now would be a great time to set up a Google Alert and be e-mailed each time your name shows up in the top of Google’s indexed sites or in the news. You may be surprised by what you and your potential employers can see about you.
While searching social networking sites employers are often ready to take notice of any tobacco, alcohol, or drug use by the recent job candidate. Keep this in mind when choosing a screen name or online ID.
Specifically in connection with both current employment and your future employment, you must be very careful what you post in social networks. Lamenting about your boss, supervisors, co-workers or a former job in your online blog is never a good idea and can put you in hot water.
Before putting those incredibly amusing photos and videos online, think about who may see them, link to them, download them, and pass them around. The pictures of you passed out drunk on your neighbor’s front lawn or the ones showing you scantily dressed and posing provocatively at a bar are likely to be viewed as a reflection of your character and integrity.
Be 100% honest when creating a resume. If the academic achievements, company information, and job titles on your resume don’t match with what an employer finds online, your CV may just end up in the filing cabinet collecting dust.
You obviously should be blogging and visiting social networking sites when you’re at home and not at work but even if you are not blogging on your employer’s time, be aware of any policies regarding what if any information you can reveal about the your employer or former employer. Be sensitive to privacy issues when talking about your boss or co-workers unless you have their permission. The best rule of thumb, when considering what topics are safe to blog about, the best advice is when in doubt, don’t post it.
One of the entertaining elements included in the networking sites is that you can connect with other people who share your same hobbies and interests as well as your wacky sense of humour. Thus groups like, “How Stoned Are You?” or “Let me be your Sugar Daddy” are born. The group may seem completely harmless to you but to a human resources manager in search of a mature and dependable candidate, it leaves a less than desirable impression.
Another potential risk to using social networking sites while job searching or career advancement is privacy. When you sign up for many of the social networking sites, be sure that you read their privacy policy cautiously. When clicking the “I agree” button, you are often giving the site permission to collect information about you from their site as well as permission to use the information they gather from other sites. Be sure that you read and understand the site’s privacy policy and read the instructions for any privacy features they may offer.
Someone once said, “You are known by the company you keep” If you are the type to add anyone who comes along to your ever growing list of friends, it may come back to haunt you. If it is implied that you are associating with less than desirable characters, a potential employer may just pass you up and choose another candidate.
Unfortunately, the Internet doesn’t forgive and forget. While you can easily delete life’s most embarrassing moments online, it doesn’t always go away permanently. There are numerous sites and search engines that keep a cache of web sites and pages that can be archived for many years. It may be impossible to entirely clean up the virtual “footprint” you’ve left in Cyberspace.
How social networking sites affect the candidate screening process is only in the beginning stages of being explored but the practice is likely to increase in the future. It is imperative that you use your online tools wisely. Your livelihood may depend on it.
When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk
What does this mean for job seekers and those wanting to advance in their career? It means that companies and corporations are taking a traditional background check a step further and it is becoming a trend for employers to go beyond Google and Yahoo and check social networking sites before hiring an employee. The primary reasons employers use for extending the background investigation to include social networking sites was to scan for illegal activity, provocative images, poor communications skills, or any sharing of potentially confidential information from a previous employer.
Since you may never know who may be scanning your profile, pictures, or gathering other data from your blog, you do need to follow some guidelines so that your next job isn’t lost due to carelessness.
Search for yourself online. Enter your own name into search engines periodically to stay informed on what personal and professional information exists online. Now would be a great time to set up a Google Alert and be e-mailed each time your name shows up in the top of Google’s indexed sites or in the news. You may be surprised by what you and your potential employers can see about you.
While searching social networking sites employers are often ready to take notice of any tobacco, alcohol, or drug use by the recent job candidate. Keep this in mind when choosing a screen name or online ID.
Specifically in connection with both current employment and your future employment, you must be very careful what you post in social networks. Lamenting about your boss, supervisors, co-workers or a former job in your online blog is never a good idea and can put you in hot water.
Before putting those incredibly amusing photos and videos online, think about who may see them, link to them, download them, and pass them around. The pictures of you passed out drunk on your neighbor’s front lawn or the ones showing you scantily dressed and posing provocatively at a bar are likely to be viewed as a reflection of your character and integrity.
Be 100% honest when creating a resume. If the academic achievements, company information, and job titles on your resume don’t match with what an employer finds online, your CV may just end up in the filing cabinet collecting dust.
You obviously should be blogging and visiting social networking sites when you’re at home and not at work but even if you are not blogging on your employer’s time, be aware of any policies regarding what if any information you can reveal about the your employer or former employer. Be sensitive to privacy issues when talking about your boss or co-workers unless you have their permission. The best rule of thumb, when considering what topics are safe to blog about, the best advice is when in doubt, don’t post it.
One of the entertaining elements included in the networking sites is that you can connect with other people who share your same hobbies and interests as well as your wacky sense of humour. Thus groups like, “How Stoned Are You?” or “Let me be your Sugar Daddy” are born. The group may seem completely harmless to you but to a human resources manager in search of a mature and dependable candidate, it leaves a less than desirable impression.
Another potential risk to using social networking sites while job searching or career advancement is privacy. When you sign up for many of the social networking sites, be sure that you read their privacy policy cautiously. When clicking the “I agree” button, you are often giving the site permission to collect information about you from their site as well as permission to use the information they gather from other sites. Be sure that you read and understand the site’s privacy policy and read the instructions for any privacy features they may offer.
Someone once said, “You are known by the company you keep” If you are the type to add anyone who comes along to your ever growing list of friends, it may come back to haunt you. If it is implied that you are associating with less than desirable characters, a potential employer may just pass you up and choose another candidate.
Unfortunately, the Internet doesn’t forgive and forget. While you can easily delete life’s most embarrassing moments online, it doesn’t always go away permanently. There are numerous sites and search engines that keep a cache of web sites and pages that can be archived for many years. It may be impossible to entirely clean up the virtual “footprint” you’ve left in Cyberspace.
How social networking sites affect the candidate screening process is only in the beginning stages of being explored but the practice is likely to increase in the future. It is imperative that you use your online tools wisely. Your livelihood may depend on it.
When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk
Negotiating a Better Job Offer
When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk |
Telephone Interviews
Before the telephone interview:
A telephone interview will probably cover areas including: your experience, availability and salary requirements so try to prepare details before the call. This will help you sound more "polished" during the interview.
Unfortunately, a telephone interview is unlikely to lead to a job offer so your main objective is to secure an interview at the company. Although this means having to go through another interview, at least you will be more prepared and will have more facts with regards to the company and the position you are applying for.
Before the call, ensure you have all the necessary information with you - it will not sound professional if during the interview you do not have all the relevant information. Items you may need could include: a pen, paper, a calculator, the job advertisement, your CV, a list of your achievements, a list of pre-planned questions to ask about the company and the position, and finally, your diary.
During the call:
During the interview make sure you smile. This might sound silly considering nobody can see you but it will come through in your voice. Make sure you speak as clearly as possible and do not drink, smoke or eat during the call - this will not sound professional! Also, avoid saying things such as: "erm..." - to prevent this, practise answering some questions before the call.
During the call make sure you keep notes of what you are being told and questions you are being asked - nobody can see you, so use this to your advantage. By making a quick note of the questions you are being asked you can prepare answers for other interviews. In addition to this, when being asked questions, avoid giving one word answers, such as "yes", or "no" - try to expand on any points you would like to make.
When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk
A telephone interview will probably cover areas including: your experience, availability and salary requirements so try to prepare details before the call. This will help you sound more "polished" during the interview.
Unfortunately, a telephone interview is unlikely to lead to a job offer so your main objective is to secure an interview at the company. Although this means having to go through another interview, at least you will be more prepared and will have more facts with regards to the company and the position you are applying for.
Before the call, ensure you have all the necessary information with you - it will not sound professional if during the interview you do not have all the relevant information. Items you may need could include: a pen, paper, a calculator, the job advertisement, your CV, a list of your achievements, a list of pre-planned questions to ask about the company and the position, and finally, your diary.
During the call:
During the interview make sure you smile. This might sound silly considering nobody can see you but it will come through in your voice. Make sure you speak as clearly as possible and do not drink, smoke or eat during the call - this will not sound professional! Also, avoid saying things such as: "erm..." - to prevent this, practise answering some questions before the call.
During the call make sure you keep notes of what you are being told and questions you are being asked - nobody can see you, so use this to your advantage. By making a quick note of the questions you are being asked you can prepare answers for other interviews. In addition to this, when being asked questions, avoid giving one word answers, such as "yes", or "no" - try to expand on any points you would like to make.
When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk
Jobseekers - Staying Motivated
1. Rejection is central to job hunting and career change.People do not call you back. Your CV and cover letter are never heard from again. People in your network make promises and don't come through. You work hard to prepare for a job interview and a month after the interview you haven't heard anything.
The key here is to not take each rejection personally. For every rejection you have to believe you are one step closer to the desired "yes." Understand that the more ships you put out on the job hunting ocean the more likely you ship will come in; and sooner rather than later. 2. Are you building a robust career plan?Rarely do good things happen without a well thought out plan. Finding a job or changing a career are no exceptions to this rule. A good strong career and job hunting plan should include at a minimum all of the following: (1) Your value proposition-what do you want and what are you good at?, (2) Where and with whom do you want to work?, (3) Roadblocks to getting the planned career and how to overcome, (4) Job search actions, (5) Daily, weekly and monthly action goals, (6) Career research and options, and (7) Plan to get off to a running start in the new career and new job. A career change or job search plan should be comprehensive yet flexible enough to adjust to changing circumstances. The format you choose should build and sustain your confidence, and in job hunting confidence is everything. 3. Have you accepted that you are now in sales?Building and planning a job search campaign has with it the realisation that you are now in sales. Identifying the right buyers and then finding them can be a new and frustrating experience. As with anyone is sales you have to put together a winning marketing plan. You have to understand the market for your skills and abilities to make the plan work. Commitment to your marketing plan takes a full press effort. Your full and complete effort to your sales plan will go a long way for turning your marketing plan into the right job or career. 4. Control your worry meter.There are many thing related to a job search or career change that are outside your control. The difficult job market, you age, inane questions in a job interview, key people do not return your calls, appointments canceled in the last-minute, weeks go by with no decisions; all can cause your worry meter to go off the dial. Over time worry and uncertainty can beat you down and erode your motivation and attitude. If you carefully examine something that is a worry ask yourself, "Is there something positive I can do about this item of worry?" If not don't waste valuable time and effort but rather move on to something you can impact. Work you job hunting plan and as you reach daily and weekly goals celebrate your success. As you exercise and stick to your diet, and as you reach you fitness goals this is another area you can control and also celebrate. 5. What are you learning?Many job hunters and career changers worry that as they are out of work their key skills will begin to erode. Don't believe it, much of what you know is like riding a bicycle, one ride around the block even though it's been some time since you were in the saddle and the skill comes back. However, it's still a good idea to add to your skill sets. Perhaps, there is a roadblock that might keep you from qualifying for a job. Research what is required and plan to overcome this problem through added learning. Moreover, as you add to your skills your confidence will grow. In addition, in order to keep and build a positive attitude, read motivational books, listen to uplifting CD's as you drive your car, associate with positive people and plan on helping others. All will keep you motivated and engaged in your job search plan. 6. Adjustments are good and bad.A job search or career change can result in grasping at ideas that have little validity to your job search plan. You hear that someone quickly found a job in your field by printing their CV on green paper, or sending their CV to 250 MD's, or showing up for their job interview in a Santa suit. It's been shown that employer's are more likely to employ positive, motivated and can-do job applicants. If you work hard to stay positive and up-beat in your job search or career change you increase the likelihood of finding the right job in a shorter period of time. When considering a career move or if you are looking for a new job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk |
Interviews - Its all in the Preparation
Conduct Extensive Research
A little homework before the interview always proves to be fruitful. Study the website of the organisation carefully so that you get a knack of how they work. If the organisation has been accoladed in the past then keep a note of it and mention the same during face-to-face interview. It poses a good impression and the odds of getting the job may increase. Subject Knowledge is Indispensable There is no denying the fact that subject knowledge cannot be tested in just a few minutes but one can never be sure about the type of questions the interviewer is going to ask. Thus, you should always be ready to answer questions related to your subject. In the present scenario, employers hire professionals having a pleasing personality but proficiency in your subject always remain at the top. Polish Your Soft Skills In the past few years, the numbers of jobseekers has increased significantly and to make sure that only the best candidates get selected, organisations have made their selection processes a little strict. • Mind You're Body Language – During the interview, every move of yours is being watched and thus you should take care of it. • Be Confident – Believe it or not but many candidates are selected on the basis of their confidence levels. Right from entering into the room to your exit, you must keep your confidence level high. • Keep A Smile on Your Face – Getting a job in Wales is a serious issue but there is no harm in wearing a smile on your face. Prepare for General Questions There are a few questions that are asked by almost every interviewer for every job profile. If you can prepare for these general questions in a special manner beforehand it would improve your performance for sure. When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk |
How to Impress the Boss
(1) Be on time
You will be noticed if you are coming late every day and it will bring a bad remark in your career path. The way you are coming to the working place shows your approach to your work. If you are coming on time, it will create a positive remark about you. It shows that you respect your work and your employer. (2) Always be honest What you are most valued for, is your honesty, everywhere and especially in a working place. By being honest, you are becoming trustworthy to take over a significant role in your office. It can bring you prospects in your career and in your life also. Losing trust is the awful thing that can happen in one's life. So, be meaningful for your boss and your colleagues. (3) Respect your work In a working place, what is to be respected most is the work itself which you are doing there. Love your work. It is kind of self-respect. You can respect others, only if you have this self-respect. You must have a commitment to the work. By respecting your work, you will be more concentrating in your work thereby you can improve your efficiency. You can contribute more than what you are expected to. (4) Respect the employer Your employer is the person who has given you a good career with a fair salary that can keep you live in a better way through which you have got recognition in the society. An employer is a respectable person in every society. (5) Take initiative Try to take initiative in your work. Try to do what more you can do in the work. Your work should be a clean and complete one. Do not make a work pending. Complete it in time. A timely work always impresses your employer. (6) Be confident Your quality of your life depends on your confidence. Your success in life is the result of your confidence. Your confidence determines you will be. Keep this in mind when you are at work. Your confidence will bring a good image upon you which will result in better career prospects. (7) Accept challenges You will win in your life if you are ready to accept challenges. A working place is not different from your life. Face the challenges, you will win. (8) Work hard There is no need to mention anything more about strength of hard work. There is incredible value for hard work everywhere every time. Hard work will be accepted and approved by not only your boss but by everyone in the society. When considering a career move or if you are looking for your first job or considering any jobs in Wales remember to visit the most advanced and powerful jobsite in the local area - JobBud.co.uk Good luck for a good future in your career. |
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