Tag: Networking

CONFIDENCE IS KEY!

Below you’ll find various ways on how to go about handing in your resume.

• Approaching Businesses

– Dress to impress!

– Have your resume, references and cover letter ready (and not crinkled or creased!)

– Walk into the business, ask for the manager.
If the manager is not there at that moment, ask when they’ll be back and return at that time. Do not just hand your resume over to a sales assistant!

– When meeting the manager, shake hands, introduce yourself (name, current occupation/field of study, give a 30 second spiel on what you appreciate about the company and ask if they have any positions available), and most importantly, make sure you smile!

– You’re also going to want to remember the manager’s name (even if that means writing it down once you’ve left) so in any future situation, you can create a personal connection

– The reply to your question about available positions can go a number of different ways:

“Sorry, we don’t have any positions available at the moment”
To which you could reply….
“Ok. What can I do to show you I should be the next person you hire?”
More often than not, saying that is the very thing!

OR

“Yes. We will give you a call in a few days”
To which you could reply…
“Great, look forward to hearing from you. Nice meeting you *insert manager’s name here*” and shake their hand firmly.
If you don’t get the call, don’t fret. Just pop back after the time they said they would call, ask for the manager (hopefully you can ask for them by name this time), shake their hand again and say something along the lines of…
“Hi, I’m John Smith. I came in *insert time period here* and was just wondering if there was any progress on available positions?” Make sure you have your resume, cover letter and references with you.

OR

“Yes. Why don’t you come out into the back now for a quick interview?”
If this happens, make sure you are prepared (Make sure you’ve read Getting Your Dream Job #4: How To Prepare For An Interview)

Do not refuse this offer! Make sure when you go in to meet the manager that you are not in a rush and have the time for this to happen.

• Website Application

– Cover letters are often required

– References are often required

– Resume will definitely be needed
MAKE SURE FILE NAMES ARE APPROPRIATE!
eg. ‘John Smith Resume’ rather than ‘johnres11’

– Apply for everything you want to!
All it takes is a click – just make sure your cover letter and resume are applicable to the position being offered

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STRESS LESS!

There are 4 things YOU can do to make an outstanding first impression:

• Be confident in YOU

Dress to impress! Show up confident in yourself and looking professional.
Be convinced within yourself that the company will be better off with you and make sure you can clearly and confidently express why.
Have questions prepared for the interview. Often the employer will ask you if you have any questions about the job, at some point in the interview – make sure you have something to ask!
Appropriate question: Is there any potential to advance to managerial positions within the company?
Inappropriate question: How long is my lunch break?

• Know YOU

Make sure you can talk about anything on your resume in great detail! But know the right stuff – they don’t want to know WHAT you did in great detail, but rather HOW it shows your character/personality/work ethic.
Have your resume, cover letter and references with you also! (The employer would have most likely lost it by now…)

• Calm YOU

Be punctual, or even better…EARLY! This will give you time to think through any last minute thoughts, calm all your nerves and shows them that you are serious about the job.
You have nothing to be nervous about. If you get the job, great! But if you don’t, your life is not over. There are a gazillion other jobs out there and probably one that is more suited to you.
Everything happens for a reason, trust God.
And without a doubt, the best way to calm yourself…PRAY! Hand it over to God, he lights your path.

• Be YOU!

The best thing you can do in a job interview is be yourself. Trying to be something you’re not or acting like someone you’re not can not only misleading to the employer (potentially causing problems after they’ve hired you and you turn our to be a completely different person) but could stop you from getting the job! The worst thing you could do is be fake. Often when people are not themselves, they come across uncomfortable and nervous – this is not the impression you want to be giving!
Be yourself, answer questions honestly, keep with your personality, don’t change yourself for a job. That way, you’ll get the job that is perfect for you! Work doesn’t have to be something we hate!

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YA GOTTA BE STYLIN’ IF YA WANT SOME HIRIN’

You’ve probably seen the term ‘dress to impress’ appear throughout the previous articles…. This is what it means:

• Dress like the staff
• If you’re unsure, wear business pants and a white top (Even for retail)
• Enclosed black shoes
• Hair back/off your face (this applies to males too)
• No excessive make up or jewellery
• Look professional

ATTITUDES FOR SUCCESS!

While you’re still searching for a job, remember these points:

• Be passionate
• Show initiative
• Keep going
• Keep believing – There is a job out there somewhere for you!

And finally, once you get the job….

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You have worked your way to success!

– Be early for your first day/shift

– Ask questions if you have them (it shows your understanding), just make sure you aren’t asking something you’re already meant to know/they’ve already told you!

– Take initiative – if you see something that needs to be done, and you know how to do it… do it!

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BE SPECIFIC AND SHOW YOUR SKILLS

For most job applications, you’ll need to have a few different things ready. A resume is a definite must! A cover letter is recommended, and it shows your professionalism to have references and referees ready. If you are unsure of what these are, or how to write them, then the points below are for you!

• Resume

Resumes are like snowflakes, each one is unique!

There are many different ways to write a resume. Depending on the type of job, finding the right template is essential. Google is full of templates for different occupations. But if you’re struggling, use the following basic template:

– Personal Details (name/suburb/phone/emails)
– Career Summary
– Education & Qualifications
– Volunteer work
– Interests
– References & Referees

In any resume, make sure what you are writing is specific, or applicable to that particular job. You want to show all your skills that can apply to that job, but don’t ramble on.

• Cover Letters

Write a new cover letter for each company you apply to

A cover letter consists of:
– A little about yourself (not so much your qualifications – that is what your resume is for – but rather how you relate to the company)
– What you appreciate about the company
– How you can build on the company (This is where you must research, research and research!!! Go to the company website, find their aim or values, know the history of the company and using this information, make note of how you can support this as an employee)

• References

Make sure you have at least one reference with your resume. A reference is a document written (and by written, I mean typed) by either a past employer, or someone who knows you/how you work stating all the wonderful things about you and your work ethic! They show employers that you are a valuable employee. Upon leaving places of employment, ask your employer if they can write a reference for you.

• Referees

Referees are similar to a reference in the sense that they are either a past employer or someone who knows you/how you work/what you excel at, who is happy for your potential employer to contact them seeking information about you. A referee could be your old employer, or someone like your youth leader or Pastor.

When listing a referee on a resume, give their name (first and last), occupation and their phone number.

Before handing anyone’s information over to your potential employer, make sure you have approached your referee asking their permission to be listed as such.

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Getting a job doesn’t have to be stressful or difficult and there are often more places than you think looking for staff. You just have to know what you want, and how to market yourself for such. By learning how to….

1. Find job opportunities
2. Write your resume
3. Hand in your resume
4. Prepare for an interview
5. Dress to impress

….in this series of 5 articles, getting your dream job will be easy!

So we’ll start with #1: How To Find Job Opportunities

WORK YOUR NETWORK

There are 5 different networks YOU have immediate access to, each offering their own connections to various workplaces.

• Your Personal Network

Your personal network is the simplest way to get connected to an available position, as all it requires is a friendly question.

Firstly, ask your friends.
There may be positions opening up at their workplace, or they may have heard of other places hiring. (It’s a bonus if their workplace is hiring, as they can potentially recommend you to their boss.)

Then comes the family – Parents, siblings and your Uncle George.
Just like your friends, members of your family may have positions opening up at their workplaces and may have heard of other places hiring. Make sure you don’t forget to chat to Uncle George at Christmas. Often, Uncle George is the CEO of a large company who could do with an assistant or something of the sort. Work all your connections – the least you have to look around, the better!

After asking every friend and family member you possibly can, go to your friendly neighbours.
Similarly, their workplace may be hiring, or they may know of another. However, neighbours differ in the fact that they can give you a workplace that differs to most. They may be an elderly couple who would love to pay you to mow their lawn every couple of weeks, or a couple with kids, who wouldn’t mind paying you to pick the kids up from school, or babysit them on date night – so it never hurts to stick your head over the fence and discuss your lack of employment.

Get friendly with the locals.
This point is for those of you on a first name basis with your baker or newsagent. Local businesses love supporting community and there is a good chance they need someone else to bake the bread or sell the newspapers every now and then. Casually let them know you’re looking for a job.

• Internet

The internet is FULL of potential jobs, you just have to find them.

Facebook (www.facebook.com) – What’s on your mind? “Anyone know of any places hiring?” Hopefully the comments start rolling in….

Seek (www.seek.com.au) – They call themselves Australia’s #1 job site, try and prove them wrong.

Gumtree (www.gumtree.com.au) – Gumtree is filled with various job opportunities, ranging from banking and finance to nanny/babysitting. They even have call centre jobs. Even if there isn’t a suitable job for you on there, it may give you ideas of other places to apply to.

Company sites – such as The Cotton On Group (http://shop.cottonon.com/careers/) – a website that lets you apply to 7 different companies from the one website, or sites for companies like MYER (http://www.myer.com.au/careers), that allow you to apply for retail, or office jobs.

• Print Sources

Your trusty local newspaper or Saturday paper will have a classifieds full of job opportunities staring you in the face – worth a squiz I say.

It may also be worth a stroll through your local shopping centre, taking note of any job ads in shop windows.

• Agencies

If you apply to the requirements, Centrelink can list you as a job seeker, and hook you up with one of their employees who will go through your resume with you and help you apply for jobs.

Private Recruitment Agencies such as http://www.kellyservices.com.au/ are another support service who can guide you through the job application process.

• Cold Calling

Approaching places of interest with your resume in hand and dressed to impress! (See: Getting Your Dream Job #3: How To Hand In Your Resume)

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