Three Things You Need To Know About Job Search In Difficult Times

If you want to be successful in searching for a job in these difficult economic times there are three key things you need to be doing. They are each to do with marketing yourself and include your resume, networking and your pitch. I will explain each of these in this article and how you can use these to rise to the top of the list. Remember - This is all about You.

A resume is the most important document in your bag of goodies. As you work to get your information into the hands of Hiring Managers put yourself in their shoes. What are they looking for? Does your resume stand out? It must portray you as someone who can add value to the organization from day one. You are limited to a short period of time when a Recruiter reads your resume and you must take advantage of every second to make an impression. Make sure you have the right keywords in your resume. Once you have completed the resume then you can move on.

It is often said that Networking is the key to finding a job and in my time as an Outplacement consultant I can confirm that to be true. Well over 85% of all my clients find their next position through a friend of a friend, or an alumni group, or through another organization that they belong to. Never dismiss a contact because you think they won’t know the right people. I could tell you any number of stories that would prove you wrong. Network, Network and Network and if that fails start Networking.

We are not intrinsically comfortable with Networking, asking other people for help, or in this case ‘advice’ we think shows weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth, great strength is required to contact someone you have never met and ask them for advice that could help you in the transition. Get to it!!

Our final item is ‘The Pitch’, the answer to the question ‘Tell me about yourself’ or ‘How do you see yourself fitting into this organization?’ These are both great questions when you understand what the interviewer is looking for. The interviewer is looking to hear about you strengths, abilities and skills and how they will benefit the organization. They are not looking to know when you last had a vacation (unless it is pertinent to the position) but they do want to hear what you did at what job that is relevant to them.

Practice a standard version of this in front of the bathroom mirror, when you have an interview research the company and the position and focus your pitch at the requirements.

The three steps we have discussed follow a logical pattern, prepare the resume that will get you in the door for an interview, network like crazy to extend your reach when it comes to finding opportunities and lastly practice the 90 second drill that will allow you to demonstrate very quickly that you can deliver the goods.

Be successful and do not give up!

By: The Job Coach

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Barry @ virtualjobcoach.com - Your personal job-search assistant. www.virtualjobcoach.com