BLOGStreet, from JobStreet.com

Snippets: What will you do if nobody is watching?

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

Sital Ruparelia, the founder of 6 Figure Career Management, once suggested some questions for you to ponder:

• If you were locked in a big bookstore overnight with all the security cameras switched off and no one looking, which section of the shop would you go and sit in to read?
• If you were then to move on to another section later that night, which one would it be?
• If you could read any magazine at the store, which two would you be drawn to when no one is looking?
• If you could go off and test drive any job or career without anyone you know finding out about it, which three jobs or careers would you love to test out for a week just for the fun of it?
• If you were to ask your close friends "If you had to pay me to solve a problem, what types of problems would they be?" what would their typical replies be?
• In your last/current job, what were the things you'd do most often when your boss and team were not around? The things you did for the pure love of it?

The answers to these questions won't solve all your career woes but they will give you some clues as to what turns you on professionally and the areas you could start exploring whether professionally or as a hobby.

Do check back on 10 Dec 2009 for more tips!

Snippets: Prioritizing your resume details

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

You'll generate a better response with your resume if it is well organized and packed with relevant information. So learn to give priority and list the most relevant academic, research, volunteer or work experience. Secondly, include an Objective and Summary of Qualification at the top of the resume. Thirdly, incorporate many of the strategies and resume writing techniques which have proven to be extremely effective. Prioritize your top skills and experience at the top of your resume and then followed by the details of additional educational, employment or academic experience.

Do check back on 30 Nov 2009 for more tips!

Snippets: Acquire new knowledge

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

A proven way to advance in your career is to continually acquire new knowledge. Stay on top of trends or developments in your field and make sure that your current resume reflects those needed skills.

Do check back on 20 Nov 2009 for more tips!

Snippets: Reach out and network

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

Networking can be key to successfully advance or change your career. Your network already includes friends, family members, business contacts and colleagues, but you can always broaden it further by joining professional organizations within your field, contacting alumni from your university, joining groups on social websites that speak to your profession, attending industry conferences and seminars. Even through volunteering. An event that is specifically about networking is also a great place to connect with others. The more people who know you, your strengths and abilities, the better your chances at receiving job leads, key advice or information about a particular company or industry.

Do check back on 10 Nov 2009 for more tips!

Snippets: Volunteer work

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

If your heart is set on remaining with your organization, it makes good sense to volunteer yourself for social committees where you can build your reputation as a solid, passionate person, dedicated to the industry and the company itself. More than that, should your objectives change later, this experience always looks good on a resume.

Do check back on 30 Oct 2009 for more tips!

Snippets: Self-promotion

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

Learn the fine art of self-promotion. If you have had major accomplishments or created successful programmes, make sure people know about them, especially the people in influential positions who could help you advance professionally. Let it be known that you are seeking a promotion or the next step up in your career.

Do check back on 20 Oct 2009 for more tips!

JECI poll, Sep 2009

This is the summary of job seekers' confidence in the job market in this region in Sep 2009:

• In Malaysia, the upward trend in the JobStreet ECI was checked as it dipped slightly from 50.2 points in August to 48.7 points in September. However, we do not consider this to be any cause for concern for the moment as the general trend shown since February this year has been a steady growth.
• The JobStreet ECI for Singapore, which had been relatively stable in the past three months, improved by 1.3 point to 44.6 in September as job seekes continued to show increase confidence in the Singaporean job market.
• Growth in the JobStreet ECI for the Philippines remained unchanged where the September index ended at 56.7 points which was a wee bit lower than the 56.9 points of the previous month.
• In Indonesia, the JobStreet ECI also took a short breather as it trended slightly lower by 0.6 points from August to end the month at 52.2 points. 
• The India JobStreet ECI was stable with their index increasing slightly to 57.7 points in September, up by 0.5 points from the August index level.

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The JobStreet.com Employment Confidence Index (ECI) is a measure of job seeker confidence in finding a job in the countries where we hold our monthly polls.

Snippets: The pre-interview homework

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

Before you attend any interview -- and normally, you should do this days before the interview -- do your research and preparation. Try and find out more about the job and the company. What's the company background and how does it operate? It will boost the opinion of you in the eyes of the employers if you show the enthusiasm to know more of the company you hope to join.

Do check back on 10 Oct 2009 for more tips!

Snippets: Common resume characteristics

This is part of a series of articles to make your job hunting experience more meaningful with JobStreet.com.

A well-designed resume should possess these characteristics in common:

• Good visual appeal, an easy-to-read layout and high quality reproduction
• A highlight of your strengths and linking them to the employer's needs; minimizing or excluding irrelevant experience
• Presents your most important information first
• Entirely free from any error: spelling, typographical, punctuation or grammatical
• Succinct and organized; does not exceed two pages.

Do check back on 30 Sep 2009 for more tips!

Law of the garbage truck

Here is a pearl of wisdom that I read today, and thought that it is worth sharing with everyone. Have a nice day, and don't spread the garbage around!

One day, I hopped into the taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...

Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage-free day!