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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.

More Filipinos interested in working abroad

Filipino jobseekers have said that they are interested in working abroad, if given an opportunity to do so, according to a recent survey done by JobStreet.com. An overwhelming 82% have said that they want to work abroad if given the chance, in contrast to just 7% who expressed no interest in doing so.

When asked about how serious they are in working abroad, 39% said they are actively looking for such opportunities, while another 22% said they are passively seeking such opportunities. Another 27% said they are still contemplating the pros and cons of doing so, while another 12% said they are not serious, or not interested at all in doing so. 

Of those who are not interested in working abroad, 48% cited family as the primary reason for not wanting to work abroad, while another 22% said that there are good career prospects here. Another 11% mentioned that they prefer to remain in their comfort zones, and 13% mentioned other factors.

On the other hand, of those who want to work abroad, 60% mentioned better financial remuneration as the main driving factor, while 15% cited career growth. Another 10% would do so for the sake of their children’s education, 8% said that the chance to travel as an influential factor, and only 1% would do so because they want to follow their spouses to that particular country.

When queried about which country of preference they want to work in, 23% have indicated that they want to work in America, 21% chose Canada as their main destination, and 18% prefer Australia. Another 9% opted for Britain, while 7% wanted to go to New Zealand.

On another matter, about 48% of jobseekers surveyed said that they will look for jobs abroad through recruitment firms or headhunting agencies, while another 22% would do so through newspaper or online advertisements. Another 19% said they would look for such jobs through referrals.

About 500 managers, senior executives and executives in the Philippines participated in the survey in May 2011.

Filipino working women prioritize family over career

Filipino working women have indicated that they place more importance on their families rather than their careers, according to a recent survey done by JobStreet.com. About 73% opined that their career objectives will change when they have children, in contrast with a mere 18% who said their professional goals will remain unchanged.

About 48% of respondents said that flexible working hours is the main priority after they have children, while 36% said that higher salaries are most preferred. Elsewhere, about 47% said that they will remain working as usual after having children, as opposed to 29% who said that they will resume later after a brief period of non-work.

When asked about how long their non-work period is, about 50% said that they will stop working for less than a year, while 21% said that they will stop working for one to two years. About 40% of respondents said they cannot afford to stop working, when asked about why they resumed working, while only 15% cited the continuation of their career climb as their reason.

On another note, about 68% of respondents said that their companies do not provide flexible or part-time working hours for mothers, with only 24% saying that their companies do provide such flexibility. About 36% said that their companies are not sensitive to the needs of working mothers, but an optimistic 40% saying that their companies are considerate to working mothers.

On a final note, about 65% of working women surveyed opined that their companies should be thoughtful enough to provide childcare facilities, in contrast to only 22% who do not think so.

About 300 working women in the Philippines participated in the survey in April 2011.

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.