If you are unemployed or fear you might become unemployed, you can find yourself angry, depressed and demoralized. Unemployment figures in the United States rose to 9.2 percent in June, but those figures include teachers who are on unpaid leave during the summer, so the truer picture might be a hundredth or two lower. The picture is still bleak, and projections are almost unanimous for that trend to continue for at least the rest of 2011. So how can you increase your chances of finding gainful employment?
Assessment and Evaluation
People often mistake these two words to be synonymous and apply to only aptitude tests. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Assessment does mean evaluation, and it can apply to evaluation, but its deeper meaning and application goes beyond skill sets. Are you happy working in your field? If you aren't, unless you are a very, very good actor, that shows when you're interviewing for or performing in a job.
Remember a line from a well-known play: “To thine own self be true.”
Evaluation enters the fray after your full and honest assessment. Are you looking for the right type of job in the right industry in the right places?
Constant Diligence
Always be looking for new job leads. Don't rely on waiting until near the end of your unemployment pay period: On average, it takes 4.5 to 8 months for people to find a job, even if the jobs they find are outside their fields of expertise.
Widen the Scope
You're probably familiar with the saying, “Don't put all your eggs in one basket.” In searching for a job, that adage is “gospel.”
Many people believe that online job sites are the “be all and end all” of job search methods. Unfortunately, they find themselves sitting at home, watching TV and growing more frustrated than ever: Only about four percent of all jobs posted on job sites are filled through the Internet.
Your best bet is and always has been tapping your social or professional network—and that's not Facebook. Talk to your friends, family and associates regarding unpublicized job openings. Ask if they know of anyone who is hiring or if they can refer you to someone or some business that might know of an opening. Network marketing is a technique that works: Sell your skills to your immediate circle and expand outward—that “friend of a friend” scenario.
Next on the probabilities list is your local print media. Don't overlook or neglect looking in the want ads. Occasionally, you'll find the best of both worlds and read an ad for a position where an acquaintance works. If you can include that person's name—with prior knowledge and permission—in your cover letter as well as the placed ad, then you're probably a half a step ahead of other applicants.
The Application
Before you send off another whirlwind of cover letters and applications, fine tune both. Is your cover letter merely repeating what's on your resume or does it present one primary and relevant highlight, and especially does it request further contact?
Your work experience and education or training does not have to be in chronological order. Put the relevant items first and itemize them. You can always fill in the employment blanks beneath with only a brief description of other, non-related positions.
The Interview
Brush up on your interview skills. Pay close attention to your appearance, body language and voice. Be confident and assured. Desperation leaks out very easily, and you decrease your odds of getting an offer or a competitive wage.
Article by Sara Woods of Coupon Croc, use a Debenhams discount voucher and save on the gadgets you need to maxmize your job search options.
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