Tips in finding new employment

Job opportunities are find quicker if you take charge!

In my profession I help many in need of higher education and new employment.  They seek for advancement in their profession, better pay, and a better life.  I offer precise direction, result-oriented ideas, and inner strength motivation.  I work to change people lives.  I try my best to discover who they are, what they have done and what they want to accomplish.  When I begin to discover who they are and what they have done, speaking in terms of finding new employment; I ask questions like, "Where have you looked for a new job?" or "What websites have you look at?"  The number one reply I receive is, "I have been working with Workforce Services."

Let me give a bit of advice - some precise direction.  First, understand Workforce Services is a place to receive help when looking for a job.  You are assigned a case worker who will aid you in seeking employment, and they have a website you can visit to look up job postings.  It can be a great resource in finding a job.  However, many times I have seen people hand over the entire job seeking responsibility to workforce services...and months later they are still looking for a new job.

Below is my advice, in three tips.  

Tip of the day #1 - Be responsible and in Charge!

If you want a new job it is you who looks and prepares for that new job.  Career coaches and headhunter services are great resources and I suggest you use them, but you have to take charge because you are in charge!  You will be the one who will be interviewing not your headhunter.  Take a vested interest in looking for new jobs and the jobs you apply for, understanding the companies you want to work for, and educate yourself before an interview to answer questions your interviewers may ask.

Tip of the day #2 - Use the Internet!

The Internet is a great tool for you to be responsible and in charge (Tip of the day #1).  There are many websites you can have access to that list job openings.  You can check out company websites, online job sites (I can think of five online job sites right now), and government websites.  I have come across many people who do not realize this.  It might seem common sense in today's internet savvy world, but there are many who still do not realize how helpful the internet is.  Get on Google and enter different key words that relate to the job you seek.

Tip of the day #3 - Follow up!

Follow up with everybody and every opportunity.  Do not be the average Joe and wait for someone to touch base with you about a job.  Take charge!  If you follow up you will find: 1) You are not the person caught off guard by an unexpected call asking to do a three minute phone interview, 2) You place yourself in front of the line of many other candidates, first-come first-serve, 3) You will eliminate jobs you do not really want or qualify for faster, and 4) You find a job faster.

Current events and conversatons

What is going on today?  The events of today could change your stars tomorrow!

As you are looking for a new job, changing careers, or even wanting to develop your network and resources it is a good idea to keep up on your current events.  Why?  A simple answer would be a conversation starter.  Remember, great things are brought about by simple things.  A conversation starter goes deeper than just being able to have an intelligent conversation with someone.  One conversation can lead to another conversation or a friendship or a "in" with the hiring manager.  It could lead to a potential resource for future opportunities.  Know what is going on today to change your stars tomorrow.

Tip of the day:  Keep up with current events to have something to talk about.

Look at it in an analytically way.  A conversation is an exchange of words, thoughts, insights, knowledge, and could be a form of bonding and developing a relationship.  By you interacting with others you allow others to see your insights and personality.  It is no secret that job offers and business opportunities are given out based on skill and knowledge, but largely on how someone connects and interacts with hiring managers and key individuals.  One mistake I continue to make in my personal and professional lives is being too quiet.  There have been a few times that promotions have passed me up and gone to someone less experience and have done less work than I have done because they were more talkative with the boss.  Because I did not engage in conversations with others, people did not know who I was.  I did not market myself very well.  People did not like to be around me only because they perceived me to be someone who did not want to be around them.  I was not perceived as being friendly or approachable.  I gave them "I am too good to be around you" type of a book cover.  I am a nice guy and generally care about others and do not mind conversations with others.  But that is not what others saw in me.

A conversation is a marketing tool.  You want to use it to your advantage for career advancements, closing sales, and learning about new opportunities.  You want to use conversations way before you start looking for new opportunities.  Trust me, you want connections established before you need them.  Probably the toughest thing about starting a conversation or pick up the pace of a dry conversation is knowing what to talk about.  In times like this keeping up with current events could be beneficial.  For example, two days ago it was November 19.  In 1863, on November 19, President Abraham Lincoln gave what is now known as the Gettysburg Address.  Did you know that President Lincoln's profound speech was approximately three minutes long and yet it carried a lasting effect, even through today? Did you know President Lincoln was not even the featured speaker?  Whether you knew that information about the Gettysburg Address or not that was on a many headlines November 19th.  If you read a little more about the address you would find more information about the civil war and the town of Gettysburg.  You probably would have learned more about the address too.

The Gettysburg Address is a conversation starter.  It is a way for you to start a conversation with someone around this time of the year - November 19th.   You start a conversation with someone by you asking, "Hey, did you know what happened on November 19 in the year of 1863?"  After this question, a conversation is most likely to start.  One suggestion I have for when you start a conversation using the idea of keeping up with your current events; I suggest you have some follow-up questions and thoughts stored in your mind to keep the conversation going.  Once again, having conversations with someone serves the purpose of developing a relationship with someone that could present opportunities to you at a later time.

Obviously there are many topics you could discuss while in a conversation, I have only gave you one idea for finding a topic.  I know there are many people that wish they had better relationships with someone else, either for personal or professional reasons.  However, because they do not know that person very well or have not had many conversations with that person it is hard to approach them because they do not know what to talk about.  I suggest to dig into your current events and use that to open a conversation and develop a relationship.  This is a tool to market yourself and to get people to like you.