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Snippets: Pondering a Counter Offer

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

If you’re ready to leave your present job, but your employer makes a counter offer to persuade you to stay on, it’s worth considering carefully if it’s worthwhile to take it up. If you choose to stay on and accept a pay rise, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. In the first place, if you’re leaving the company because the culture doesn’t agree with you, or if you have problems with the employer, a pay rise might not be the magic bullet that will solve all these issues. Also, once you’ve made your initial decision to resign, and then take it back on account of the counter offer, your real loyalty to the company might be called into question. Therefore, it’s always advisable to take all matters into consideration before accepting the counter offer.

Snippets: Bringing a Pen and Notebook

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

This might seem to be a trivial matter to some, but it’s always good to bring along a pen and notebook to the interview. There are two very valid reasons for doing this: you might be provided with useful information about the position and the company that will prove valuable, and also, you might want to make notes after the interview as a reminder of what you have said, in preparation for a second interview. A seemingly simple step like this can make all the difference in the world as whether you get that job you have always wanted!

Snippets: Preparing for the Interview

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

It’s perfectly normal to feel some anxiety before you attend a job interview of any sort, but what can you do to make the interview a more manageable experience? Here are a few key pointers to remember: everything you say and do during an interview is observed, so choose your answers properly, and be on your best behaviour. Be prepared to answer unpredictable questions, since one never knows what kind of issues that will be covered. And above all, try to overcome the inevitable nervous feelings that will crop up, as nervousness will impair your otherwise sound ability to communicate in an articulate manner.

Snippets: The Functional Resume

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

If you’ve been out of working life for a while, and would like to rejoin the workforce, you might want to consider reformatting your resume from a traditional chronological overview to what is known as a functional resume. A functional resume comprises several key sections, including a Summary of Qualifications (a summary of your skills and experiences), an Areas of Strength section (a list of things that you are good at), a Professional Experience section (a list of jobs and duties), and an Additional Experience section (a list of skills you gained during your time off from the workforce). For this last section, think of useful tasks you might have done, including community work, freelance assignments, continuing education, and others, which will help to bolster your overall resume.

Snippets: Filling the Gap

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

While it is common for employees to take time off in between jobs, you have to know how to explain the gap in your resume. You might take time off for reasons like raising a family, taking care of ill family members, recovering from an illness, travelling, or other reasons, but you must present your reason in the most positive way possible. For example, you can state “Career Break” or “Career Breather” in the resume, and assert any relevant positive experiences you might have gained during that time off. Alternatively, you can reformat your resume from a traditional chronological approach to a more functional one, which emphasises your skills in different areas, allowing you to include any experience you gained during your time off.

Snippets: Finding a Mentor

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

How would you like to have a mentor who can guide you in your jobseeking quest? It’s not as hard as it seems to find a mentor who can provide you with pointers on how to optimize your jobseeking. The easiest way is to ask one of your more experienced business contacts for advice, and if he or she can give you a proper response, you’ve got yourself a prospective mentor! All you have to do is to develop the relationship further by contacting him or her as frequently as possible. Remember, always be brief and polite during each encounter, and be sure to codify the relationship by eventually telling this person that you would like him or her to be your mentor.

Snippets: Supporting Your Claims

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

In the course of writing your resume, you might want to put forth some claims that might help you in the interview process, and in getting the job. However, be careful not to make claims based purely on your personal opinion, with no concrete supporting evidence. For instance, if you want to have the line “I have advanced communication skills” as a claim in your resume, do back it up with some solid proof that you really do possess such skills. A better way of putting it would be “I have advanced communication skills, as proven by my contribution to the following projects”, and follow that sentence up with plausible examples to demonstrate your ability clearly and precisely.

Snippets: Using Online and Offline Approaches

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

To be a successful jobseeker, it’s always advisable to adopt both online and offline approaches. Seek out what are known as “published” opportunities by going online and visiting renowned job recruitment sites, as the Internet has proven to be a much faster and cheaper alternative to classified ads in the newspapers. An obvious offline approach would be to do some networking with known associates like former employers and colleagues, friends, relatives, and any other professionals that might spring to mind. Successful networking does require that you have as many contacts as possible, in order to ensure that you are made known to as many people as possible. Using both online and offline approaches will maximise your chances of finding that dream job.

Snippets: Job Interest Shouldn’t Be Your Main Priority

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

Due to current decreased job opportunities, especially entry-level positions, jobseekers should reconsider giving priority to their personal interests, when it comes to choosing a job. Of course, personal interest is important in determining what your eventual occupational direction will be, but if you’re striking out for the first time, it should be kept as your last priority, since entry-level jobseekers have no work experience. It’s always better to match your skills to your job, rather than matching your interest to the job.  If you have a few job opportunities at hand, then personal interest can be one of your options in helping you make your final choice. Otherwise, try not to place your personal interest as your main criterion for finding a job.

Snippets: Simple Steps to Land Your First Job

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

Choosing the right career is just not about impressing your employer and securing a job, it’s also about matching the job with your skill, value and personality. Self-assessment will help you to choose the right job. The first step is to discover your skills, as in which areas do you excel in. Based on your skills, you can then search for the job that you are capable of doing. Highlighting your communication skills in the resume can get you a better job. Then, consider your values: the things that are important to you that might make a difference in the way you do a job. Assess your personality, as in your individual qualities, needs and attitudes. The next logical step is career exploration: look in newspapers, online job portals, etc. Study about your career requirements and the industry, and interview people in that field. If possible, go to the actual workplace and study the activities of the company. After all this, comes the decision-making: start applying for jobs, and follow up diligently.