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Job Hunting Tips: Taking Care of YourselfLooking for work is generally a miserable undertaking. No matter how much education and experience you have, you are in a powerless and vulnerable position. You spend days preparing for an interview, trying to build up your self-confidence, create a relaxed, competent demeanor to disguise the turmoil and anxiety inside, and practice answers to questions you hope the interviewer will ask. Is there any way to feel really calm as you approach the receptionist, uncomfortably aware that there are other people waiting, perhaps applicants for the same position? Sit down, take a deep breath, and listen to your inner voice. Welcome the anxiety that is coursing through your veins. It is a free, non-addictive stimulant that is going to keep you on your toes and keep you hyper-alert throughout the interview. Remind yourself that without that anxiety, you would present yourself as lifeless and flat. Remember the lists you have made: of your personal qualities, your strengths, the weaknesses you have identified which can really be presented as additional strengths. Let your mind slowly scavenge through the mental picture of your resume and pound those bullet-pointed skills into your skull. Focus on your worth as a human being, your importance to those who know you and love you. You are about to be judged by someone who doesn't know you at all and who will have less than 60 minutes to assess your qualities. Self-preservation requires that you don't buy into that judgment. You may, or you may not, be offered be offered the position. Whatever the result, remind yourself that it is not the entire you being accepted or rejected, just your skills and qualities matched against a company's needs. The job interview is a dynamic process with everyone present involved in the flow. If you feel awkward or very uneasy, it may be that the company or the interviewer(s) are not a good fit for you and not being offered the job may, in the long run, be a blessing in disguise. By all means, review your interview performance afterwards while it is still fresh in your mind. If you think of better ways you could have answered some questions, write the new answers down so you can review before your next interview. As soon as possible, send a "Thank you" note, restating the personal strengths you want to emphasize. If possible, e-mail or fax that day. The next two steps are critical to maintaining your enthusiasm and job hunting energy: a) Relax and let out the stress. Don't cross-examine every question asked and every answer given or your confidence will erode further in an avalanch of second-guessing and self-criticism. You have enough stress on your plate right now just worrying about whether or not you'll receive an offer. b) Be kind to yourself. If you can afford it, take the family out to dinner to celebrate your having obtained an interview and having survived one of the most pressured experiences you will ever undergo. If finances don't allow that, at least talk to your family about the details, let them show you a little support, and give yourself a whole day off from the job search to relax, relax, relax. Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20years, developing innovative job search techniques fordisabled workers, while serving as a respected VocationalExpert in Administrative, Civil and Workers' CompensationCourts. Author of an interactive and emotionally supportiveworkbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment SurvivalManual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can bereached at http://www.virginiabola.com |  | | | RELATED ARTICLES Job or Career At this present time I have a job. It pays some of my bills, and again I have a job. I don't think of my job as a career because I don't have a passion for it. I dread going to work at times, so I know this isn't a career for me. I'm working at a clinic at the present time, and it's a stressful job, and not really my cup of tea. In Control - Inside Tips on Interview Success No, you can't control how the interview will be conducted, nor can you control the outcome. But you can influence it greatly by the way you present your personality and your skills. Want to Work for Yourself? Those Dream Jobs Dont Just Happen, Theyre Created While traveling in northern California last October, I happened to tune into a local newscast. The newscaster was telling his co-anchor that the speaker at that morning's Rotary Club meeting had to cut his presentation short because he was being flown down to Disneyland to carve elaborate Halloween pumpkins for the park festivities. The newscaster wrapped up the story with the familiar quip, "Nice work if you can get it." He got the first part right. For a creative kid-at-heart, being a professional pumpkin carver is a dream come true. It was his serendipitous "if you can get it" thinking that missed the mark. The fact is, people rarely "get" great work; they create it!Despite all the emphasis on growth in the "job sector" I am continually amazed at just how many fascinating alternatives there are to the whole 9-to-5 schtick. And just as traditional job seekers can't wait around for "Mr. Job" to knock on the door, people who want to do satisfying work ? and call their own shots ? need to be proactive as well. Francis Bacon defined a wise man as one who "makes more opportunities than he finds." Here's a couple of other wise entrepreneurs who made it by going for it.Sports-lover Don Shoenewald was just 18 when he went to the Philadelphia Eagles management wearing a homemade Eagle costume and asking for a mascot job. They weren't interested. Undaunted, Shoenewald kept showing up at Eagles football games. Pretty soon the fans adopted him as the unofficial (meaning, "unpaid") mascot. Thirteen paid team mascot jobs, four mascot character creations (including ones for the New Jersey Devils and the San Jose Sharks), and 18 years later, Shoenewald started Mascot Mania, the only professional training school for mascots in the world.Despite what your high school guidance counselor might have told you, showing up invited in a bird costume isn't the only route to self-employment. For Dan Zawacki it all began when he was working as a sales rep for Honeywell and decided to give away 120 live lobsters as gifts to his customers. Dan was so bowled over by the response that he decided to open a small side business shipping live lobsters complete with pot, crackers, butter and bibs to crustacean-lovers from coast-to-coast. That is until his boss heard him pitching Lobster Gram, Inc. on a local radio station and promptly fired him.In the beginning, Dan worked out of his bedroom, storing his lobsters in a used tank in his father's garage. His first year he netted only $4,000. Ten years later, his company sells about 9,000 lobster packages a year for $99 plus shipping. All and all, not a bad tale.If you dream of making the transition from employee to self-bosser, the first thing you need to do is belief that you can. Then, the next time you see some entrepreneur doing what they love, try thinking: "Nice work ? now, all I have to do is get it! Where Do I Go From Here? Making Your Future Work Better For You If Youre Fired, Will Past Employers Keep Your Secret? Despite what some job seekers think, it is not illegal for former employers to tell reference checkers that you were fired. They can say anything they want as long as it's true. Youre Fired Isnt The Finale According to the U.S. Department of Labor, March 2004 had the largest gain in hiring in nearly four years. But as of then, there were still about 8 million Americans without jobs, and almost 23% of those had been unemployed for six months or more. Dynamic Pre-Hiring Practices The pre-hiring process can be a challenge. Much time and energy can be invested and in the end, wasted, if your approach is not focused, deliberate, and specific. The following approaches have resulted in meeting candidates that not only meet our specifications, but also regularly exceed our expectations! Moving From A Weekend Hobby To Career In The Arts Building a career as an artist takes hard work. Because the field attracts so many talented people, jobs in this field remain competitive. If you major in an art program at the university level, the focus is not on business, but in studio art, graphic design or humanities. So it's wonderful that you learn about how to perfect your skills in art ? you need these skills. And, if you want to work for someone else, this education may be all you need to succeed. But many artists and creative professionals wish to sell their work independently from home. There maybe a looming gap in the education you receive in art class and I believe it is about basic business. Top 5 Tips for College Grads Entering the Working World 1) Build a Relationship With Your Boss: The Inevitable Job Interview Question: ?Why Did You Leave (Are Planning To Leave) Your Last Position This is a question that you can almost count on being asked at your next interview What the interviewer wants to know is, "Why are you available?" How to Reach Outside Yourself to Advance Your Career When flipping the channels of your TV, you are bound to come across a Public Service Announcement (PSA) endorsed by a celebrity asking children to approach their parents, teachers, or someone they trust when they are at a crossroads. Through these PSAs, children are told that asking for guidance, encouragement, and support is a sign of strength. They don't have to go through a transition alone-help is just around the corner. Moving Without A Job: Should You Move to the Location of Your Dreams and THEN Look for a Job? Moving without a job will challenge your identity -- but for some people, it's the best way to go. Blogging for Candidates 101: Nuts and Bolts A "blog" is simply an internet (web) log. Blogs are created for personal or professional use. They may promote a product or service, or merely serve as a personal online journal. There are currently just over four million blogs today, with a new blog born every seven seconds. Looking for Work in All the Wrong Places The Question: After identifying a potential employer, I get contact information, do my research and send out my resume and cover letter, requesting an interview for a management or human resource position. I am listed with recruiters and staffing agencies and call them every week. Lets Talk About Trust I agree with Brooker T. Washington, "Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him." I agree with Mr. Washington because I've experienced trust. I've been on both the giving and receiving side of the equation, and I know first hand the power of trust. Applying for a Job in Another Country? International Resumes Is an International Resume still a Resume? This is a very common question among those looking for work overseas for the first time. When you contact companies about applying for a job with them you will not often be asked for a resume, you will be asked to send along your CV. I remember the first time I was asked for my CV, I had no idea what they wanted and I couldn't seem to be able to find out, no one I knew, knew what at CV was either. Thank goodness there is the Internet now where information is easy to find! A CV is basically an international resume. CV (Curriculum Vitae) or international resume will differ from your regular run of the mill resume that you are used to writing. For example each country has different guidelines that they like to work within. Finding out these guidelines will take you much further in your international job hunt. 7 Secrets of a Highly-Effective Resume Cover Letter Just like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, the "humble" cover letter gets no respect. Nine Ways to Tell Youre Ready for a Promotion So you noticed the new job board posting on your way back from lunch. They finally decided to fill the assistant manager spot in your department! Trouble is, you've only been in your current position for about eight months. There's also been some talk of hiring from outside. Should you go for it anyway? Here are some ways to tell if it's time to power up the corporate ladder. The Myths of Career Change Chances are you already have many ideas about what it takes to successfully transition into a new career, even if you have never done it before. Some of those ideas might be useful ? most probably are not. In this article I would like to expose The Myths of Career Change, which might actually be holding you back. 8 Steps to Getting On-Track When You Start a New Job Starting a new job can feel like moving to a new country. Your language skills may be modest. You have little knowledge of the laws, let alone the customs and traditions of the society you are entering. All you have is a passport and the goodwill of management as you enter unfamiliar borders. |
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