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"Here, at whatever hour you come, you will find Light, help and human kindness." ___ Albert Schweitzer |
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ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What challenges do I face?As a job seeker in today's tough marketplace, you must overcome three challenges in order to achieve success. The first challenge is your competition, which has increased its numbers dramatically in the last few years. With a typical response rate of nine hundred resumes for every advertised job listing, your resume (and cover letters) must contain phraseology and differentiation that grab the readers' attention and get you invited to the interview. The second challenge you face is the scarcity of job openings available, especially the higher-paying positions. This translates to experiencing a longer, more exhausting job search, with the likely outcome of settling for a mediocre job at a disappointing wage. The third challenge most job seekers must overcome is their reliance on weak and ineffective search strategies that continually diminish any chance for success. You may have expertise in your particular field of endeavor, but your job search skills and overall marketing strategy must be strengthened. The bottom line: there are greater numbers of job candidates using ineffective search strategies to find opportunities with fewer positions available. These challenges must be remedied before you can count success as yours. Your first step: make sure you have a polished, professional, attention-grabbing resume and cover letter. Back to TopHow do I determine what my career should be?You need to assess your talents, strengths and core competencies, as well as what it is you truly want to do. It may not be enough that you have a skill set in a particular area if you lack the desire to move forward in that direction. To have a fulfilling career, you need to do what you love; you need to find your passion. If you don’t, no amount of money will sustain you. To assist you in this quest, click here for career builder tools that will help you discover your true calling. Back to TopWhere can I find the best recruiters?You really can’t. They will find you. If you perform a search of executive recruiters, you would have well over a million search results. The best approach is to post your resume at the top online career sites where the majority of employers and recruiters go to search for candidates. More information about top career sites can be found in my book, Top Job Sites – The Best Sites For Maximizing Your Returns. For more information about this book and to learn how you can order your copy, please click here. Additional strategies for getting the right recruiters to notice you can be found in my book, Using Recruiters – Implementing The Best Strategies For Your Success. For more information about this book and to learn how you can order your copy, please click here. Back to TopHow can you help me leverage my strengths and differentiate myself?Leveraging is all about capitalizing on a skill or strength to influence an outcome. It's about presenting your expertise - on your resume and during your interviews - in such a powerful way that it positively impacts decision-makers. Differentiation is about setting yourself apart from the crowd. It's recognizing your professional worth and the skills you possess that uniquely define you and what you bring to the table. The strongest job candidate doesn't always win. Leveraging your strengths and differentiating yourself are critical keys to getting in doors and receiving offers. By creating a powerful, attention-grabbing resume, I start the process that leads you to the finish line. Back to TopWhat is the biggest key in creating an attention-grabbing resume?Your value proposition. Understanding your value proposition and knowing how and where to present this part of you on your resume is what opens doors. It also helps when you have a clear vision for yourself and a meaningful way of defining your strengths and accomplishments. Back to TopWhy isn't a three-page resume acceptable even if it is well-written?You are competing with several hundred other candidates for the same position. A hiring manager or, as in most cases, a Human Resource individual, will be reviewing each resume to determine the most qualified candidates. Time is of the essence. No resume, regardless of how well it may be written, will be read if it is longer than two pages. For more information on how to create a properly constructed, eye-catching, attention-grabbing resume that will get you noticed, please click this link. Or, if you would rather have your resume written professionally, by the experts, then click here now. Back to TopWhat is the difference between a chronological and a functional resume?The difference is in emphasis. The chronological resume focuses more on your professional history, while a functional resume stresses your skills and accomplishments. To learn more about these resume types and how to write a resume that is right for you, please click this link. Or, if you would rather have your resume written professionally, by the experts, then click here now. Back to TopIs a cover letter necessary and what purpose does it serve?A cover letter is absolutely necessary. It is actually more important than your resume. While your resume is what gets you the interview, it’s your cover letter that opens the door in the first place. If you do not have a cover letter or have one that is poorly written, the chance of your resume being read is diminished, and you will lose the opportunity you need to move forward. Your cover letter is your way of introducing yourself, while your resume elaborates upon that. The interview is where you expound upon what you have written in your resume. Each piece becomes the step leading to the next piece. The idea here is to present just enough at each step to entice the reader to want to know more, leading to the next step. This process culminates with the offer. More information and cover letter examples can be found in my book, Writing Cover Letters That Get You Noticed – How To Create A Captivating Cover Letter. For information about this book and to order your copy, please click here. Or, if you would rather have your cover letter written professionally, by the experts, then click here. Back to TopWhere are the best places to find job opportunities?You can go to the job/career sites on the Internet and conduct a career-specific job search for the positions that interest you. Once there, you can also post you resume. In this way, interested employers or recruiters visiting these sites searching for top candidates for available job openings can find you. More information on the top career sites can be found in my book, Top Job Sites – The Best Sites For Maximizing Your Returns. For more information about this book and to learn how you can order your copy, please click here. You can also get the right recruiters to notice you. For strategies on how to do that, I recommend reading my book, Using Recruiters – Implementing The Best Strategies For Your Success. For more information about this book and to learn how you can order your copy, please click here. You can also network your way into opportunities. In fact, if done correctly, this last approach can be the best way to find opportunities that are right for you. For more information on networking, click here. Back to TopHow do I locate the hidden job market?The “hidden job market” – is it a myth or does it truly exist? Seventy-five percent of job openings are unadvertised, which means you are unaware of their existence. It is worth the effort to find these opportunities. One indirect way to tap into this market is to post your resume with the top career sites on the Internet. The majority of employers and recruiters searching the top career sites for candidates have unadvertised positions to fill. More information on top career sites can be found in my book, Top Job Sites – The Best Sites For Maximizing Your Returns. For more information about this book and to learn how you can order your copy, please click here. Another way to tap this market is through networking. For more information on networking, please click here. For additional information on the hidden job market, please click here. Back to TopWhat are the best ways to network?Your network consists of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and former employers. It also consists of your dentist, your barber or hair stylist, your accountant and your local grocery store manager. Networking is not only who you know, but who knows you. You may know a lot of people, but how well do they know you – especially in terms of your skills, talents, creativity and potential? The best way to network is to communicate these qualities to the people you know, so they in turn will know you better. Rather than specifically asking someone you know for a job, networking is about opening up and letting people in. Networking is continually asking the question, “Who do you know?” or "Who else should I be talking to?" The networking process produces results that are quite amazing. For additional information on networking, please click here. Back to TopWhat kinds of doors can I get in?The keys to success involve having a clearly defined and viable strategy, and a set of differentiating tools that set you apart from the crowd. Having a powerful, winning resume and a captivating cover letter are absolutely essential beginning points. Knowing the best career sites in which to post your resume and cover letter, continues the process. Networking supports the entire effort. This is the path to getting in doors which would otherwise be closed. This is the way to get into any company and meet directly with the top decision-makers to discuss your worth to that company for high-level positions. Back to TopHow do I prepare for an interview?Know yourself: be prepared to talk about your worth, your skills, core competencies and accomplishments. Be familiar with the position for which you are interviewing. Understand the fundamental tasks and responsibilities of the position, especially in relationship to similar positions you have held in the past. Determine what your chances are for growth within the position. Learn about the interviewer: find out as much as you can about the person’s quirks and traits (are they confrontational or laid back, serious or informal, friendly or stern), their position within the company, how long they have been with the company, and how they are regarded. Thoroughly research the company: who are its competitors in the marketplace, what percentage of the market do they own, are their processes state of the art and at the cutting edge of technology, are they publicly or privately held (if public, how are they viewed by investment advisors, what is their earnings track and how has their stock performed). Know the industry. Do the research that needs to be done so you can ask the right questions and have a successful interview. For more information on preparing for an interview, click here now. Back to TopWhat are some typical questions an interviewer will ask?In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to learn about you and assess your worth to the company, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission. You’ll be asked to tell the interviewer about yourself, your qualifications (especially as they pertain to the specific opening), your professional background, your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses, and your goals. You may also be asked the reason you left your previous position. While your answers will help them assess your skills for the position, it’s how you respond that more importantly determines your overall fit with the company. Personality is ninety percent of the battle. You may answer a question factually, but your personality is telling them no. On the other hand, it’s far better to establish a rapport with your interviewer than to answer every question correctly. A skill can always be taught, but when was the last time you successfully altered someone’s personality? For more information on this topic, please click here. Back to TopWhat is the best way to have a successful interview?Prepare for the interview by doing your homework. Dress appropriately! Arrive approximately ten minutes prior to the start of your interview, so you have some time to collect yourself before going in. Have a firm but not gripping handshake. Establish and maintain eye contact throughout your interview. Keep an open body posture. Answer every question thoughtfully; take you time, don't rush your answers. Do not discuss salary. Ask good questions. Establish a comfort level early in the interview and maintain that rapport throughout. Remember, you’re there to sell yourself, so be sure to ask for the offer before the interview is over. Once the interview has concluded, write and send a thank you letter. This serves to reinforce your character and qualifications, and increases your chance of clinching an offer. Back to TopOffer negotiations: are they necessary and what can be negotiated?Offer negotiations are a part of the process. Must you negotiate the offer? No. Should you? Absolutely! Thousands of dollars can be added to starting compensation through rigorous negotiations, not to mention the addition of signing bonuses. You’ve worked hard to come to this point; don't stop short of getting what you truly want, and deserve. Through negotiations, you can receive a higher starting salary, a signing bonus, stipulations for performance-based increases, more vacation time, stock options, profit sharing, benefits and other perks. Remember, what you receive becomes your benchmark for future positions. For more information on negotiating offers, please click here. Back to TopHow much money can I make?One way of assessing compensation is by your current earnings. Another way is to find out the average job salaries of people performing the same functions as you. Still another approach is to have a salary calculator determine a salary comparison based on several factors including industry, geography and the level of the position itself. For more information, click here. If you want to make a lot of money, I suggest you look to your worth - your unique gifts. In most cases, your worth is far greater than your current compensation. What do you bring to the table that is unique and valuable? Salary negotiations based on worth take on a whole new dimension. You can earn at least twenty percent over your current compensation when you factor in worth. For more information, click here. Back to TopAbout Us Privacy Policy Terms of Service Copyright © 2003-2007 TopDog Group All rights reserved. |
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