Job Seach Tip Read Something in Your Industry.wmv

One of the reasons I love being a Careerealism Expert is the motto:  Because every job is temporary.  I truly believe that everyone working should be more planful about their careers, whether they are a laborer, a waitress, or a manager.  What will you do if you are injured at work or in an accident. Or, if you are doing hard physical work - what will you do when your body can no longer keep up?

Reading about your own industry or one that you might like to transition into can keep you abreast of needs or opportunities that you might be able to fill.  It can keep you one step ahead of your colleagues (or boss).  This can really give you an edge over another candidate, even if you are making a lateral change.

If you are not working or making a career change, this can be crucial!  By reading about your chosen industry on a regular basis you will keep you knowledge current and be prepared for any opportunities that might present themselves.  Not only that (as if it weren't enough!) it can make you feel connected and confident - something you miss when you aren't working or facing a career change.

In addition to reading something about your industry I also recommend that you read about job searching or career planning.  If you are unemployed, set aside an hour a day for reading career planning or industry related information.  There are plenty of free resources on the internet, but don't forget about your local library for books and trade magazines.  If you would like to be notified when my job search guide is published email me!

Job Seach Tip Read Something in Your Industry.wmv

Jul 31, 2012

Mary Sevinsky did an absolutely wonderful job making my resume professional and more comprehensible. I am now proud to give my resume to employers! Due to the fantastic job she did, I have a new job that I am excited to ...

http://www.injuredworkerhelpdesk.com/

Injured Worker Help Desk: Volunteer to Work

Jul 16, 2012

You may not be current with the current computer software, techniques, or theories being used in your targeted industry(ies). You may never have had the opportunity to use or practice skills employers are looking for.

http://www.injuredworkerhelpdesk.com/

Injured Worker Help Desk: 5 Reasons to Follow Up on Your Job ...

Feb 26, 2012

Employers, regardless of industry, are looking for eager, proactive workers who go the extra mile. Follow up is a ... This site has comprehensive information about industries and some specifics about employers. 3. Develop a ...

http://www.injuredworkerhelpdesk.com/

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Monday Mission July 30, 2012

Register with a Staffing Agency to increase your job opportunities

If you are looking for work, you should register and follow up with as many staffing agencies as possible.  Some employers hire exclusively through staffing agencies.  If you are able to impress the staffing agency they will promote you to their employers to make themselves look good! 

Once placed by a staffing agency job seekers have a good opportunity to show off their skills and impress an employer with good, solid work ethic and worker traits.  Many staffing agencies hire for permanent positions or “temp to perm” positions.  These are ones in which the employee is hired on a temporary basis and if the employer approves, will be hired permanently. 

Even if you consider temporary only positions there are benefits, including a current employer on your resume, increased opportunity for networking, the opportunity to obtain a letter of reference and the opportunity to maintain or learn new skills.

A temporary employee is in a unique position to develop and present specific skills and achievements that the employer is looking for.  One of the major benefits of temporary employment is the opportunity that temporary workers have to both learn about their employer and impress them.

That having been said  - don’t rest on your laurels. Sometimes temporary employees don’t prepare for the interview as much as outside interviewees. If you approach the interview as if you are a shoe-in you will hurt your chances of being seriously considered.

Prepare for the interview just as you would if you were applying from the outside:

Research the company, culture, and goals. What do you already know about the company? What information is available on its website? Do you have access to the mission statement or other financial information or goals? Summarize what you know and are able learn about the company. Jot down any questions that you can ask coworkers or supervisors before the interview. You will want to keep some pertinent questions to ask the interviewer(s).

What type of interview will it be? One on one is most common and straight forward.  There may be more than one. You will want to prepare differently if there are multiple interviewers or a behavioral interview.

Dress for success. As a temporary employee you are probably already trying to put your best foot forward on a daily basis, but take pains to look especially sharp. Cut and style your hair and have your nails done (even men should take this step for the interview).

Be prepared with a list of things you have learned during your assignment. Highlight any achievements on your part and anything that impresses you about the company or your supervisor. Be concrete and provide quantitative information whenever possible. At the very least, provide specific examples.

If you don’t already have a clear mission statement for yourself and 1, 5, and 10 year goals, you should think about this sooner rather than later. It will help if these goals correspond to what you know about the company and how they promote. You should have a good understanding of their promotional ladder at this point, but if you don’t, find out. Again, you will want to relate your goals in a way that makes sense to the company and makes you clearly an attractive candidate.

Writing things down may seem silly or a waste of time to some, but it is a great way to hone your elevator speech and ensure that you are prepared with clear, concise responses that will wow your interviewers. Take the extra time to do this in preparing for an interview and you will exude confidence.

Practicing answering standard interview questions can really help you feel more confident and ensure that you sound natural and convey what you wish them to. It is important not to sound at all rehearsed – don’t so much memorize as feel comfortable with the information you intend to impart.

A temporary employee is in an ideal position to do well in this interview with a little foresight and preparation.

More career information: www.JobSearchForTheRestOfUs.com

Monday Mission July 23, 2012

How to job search: putting the pieces together.

Job searching is a lot like putting an easy to assemble item together. You need all the pieces if you want the finished product to resemble the diagram. Miss a piece or step in the directions and the anticipated outcome may not be achieved. Identifying the missing piece or pieces may not be easy, however.

An incident in my kitchen recently drove this point home. While unloading the dishwasher the top shelf seemed to stick. I looked and there didn't seem to be a dish lodged anywhere, so I yanked. Hard. The shelf came free! A small piece flew past my head and I couldn’t tell where it went. Satisfied with the newly freed shelf I unloaded the dishwasher and quickly forgot the incident.

The next day as I loaded the dishwasher I noticed something was not quite right. I could guess it had to do with the missing piece, but didn't have time to deal with it. I used the dishwasher several times, fussing with the shelf each time and knowing it wasn't working properly. The shell was moving! Dishes were being washed! I knew somehow that one small, missing piece was causing the hang up and occasional derailment of the top shelf.

I did not know what or where the small piece was. While cleaning the kitchen a week or so later I found a small plastic form in a far corner. It looked like SOMETHING that could be important. I set it on the windowsill and finished my chores. I really didn't have time to give it more thought. I had things to do!

A few days later my daughter and her boyfriend came for a weekend visit. Right away she noticed the top shelf was not quite working. She called on her boyfriend to look at it (he is a hands on kind of guy?!:-) he spent a few minutes adjusting everything possible and declared it was all he could do. It wasn't working properly. But, it WAS working!

A day or so after they left, my husband opened the kitchen windows and asked about the small plastic part. I looked at it closely. Hmmm, something was ringing a bell. I examined it closely and turned it all around and gave it some thought....Eureka!

I opened the offending appliance and saw the thin oval whole where the plastic part originally resided. After a quick assessment I flipped over the part and fit it into the end of the top left rail. I pushed the shelf in and pulled it out. A small adjustment to one of the rollers and it was working perfectly!

Who would have thought such a small piece could make such a big difference? It occurs to me that job search is like that: One small piece can make a big difference! Finding that piece isn't always easy, but finding and fitting it in can make a world of difference:

1. Pay attention to the small parts of your job search.
2. Take the time to give your job search some thought.
3. Assess what is working and what isn't.
3. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
4. Remember to regularly evaluate the help you are getting.
5. It may take multiple attempts and different methods to get the results you are looking for.

Apply these points to your job search and you will see the results!

A new way to job search - click on the Job Search Portal Page for more information

Other articles of interest:

Job Search for the Rest of Us!: Injured Worker Help Desk: How to ...

Jan 26, 2012

Injured Worker Help Desk: How to Follow Up On a Job Application: How to Follow Up On a Job Application - http://pulse.me/s/5cHhu. Posted by Life-Works at 3:56 PM · Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook ...

http://jobsearchfortherestofus.blogspot.com/

Job Search for the Rest of Us!: Injured Worker Help Desk: Why you ...

May 07, 2012

If your letter and resume look good, it is likely that you are not doing enough follow up! You should use the job logs provided to organize yourself so that you are calling on each employer applied to the previous week. You may ...

http://www.jobsearchfortherestofus.com/

Job Search for the Rest of Us!: Your Career is Up to YOU!

Jul 16, 2012

Follow by Email. Sign up for Services. The Rising Power of Visual Content .... Injured Worker Help Desk: How to Follow Up On a Jo... Injured Worker Help Desk: What You Can Learn from ... Injured Worker Help Desk: The ...

http://www.jobsearchfortherestofus.com/

Job Search for the Rest of Us!: 5 Ways to Get a Job

Jul 02, 2012

Certainly other ways to get a job, but if you follow these recommendations, you are bound to be successful. To find the most jobs, you will want your fingers to spread ... Sign up for Services. The Rising Power of Visual Content ...

http://www.jobsearchfortherestofus.com/

Volunteer to Work

If you are unemployed and looking for work you may want to think about volunteering. “What! My time is worth money!” Or you may say, “I could better use that time job searching!” Many of the people I work with are hesitant to consider working as a volunteer. But, if you have been unemployed for 6 months or more, here is why you should consider it:

1.       Put something current on your resume. Ideally you will be able to arrange an internship, on the job training or a volunteer experience with a company or agency that will enhance your resume. If not, at least you will be able to show you are doing something!

2.       Learn new skills. You may not be current with the current computer software, techniques, or theories being used in your targeted industry(ies). You may never have had the opportunity to use or practice skills employers are looking for. Volunteering may be just the way to get the skills you need to be competitive.

3.       Network with people you wouldn’t normally come into contact with. Volunteering to work can put you in contact with many more people than you would ordinarily come into contact with. AND, you will automatically have something in common with them.

4.       Show what you can do and how quickly you can learn new things. SHOW ME - Volunteering gives you the opportunity to show an employer what you are capable of. All those you come into contact with will be able to speak to others of your capabilities.

5.       Volunteering can give you the social feedback you may be missing since you have been off of work. When you go to work and see people you are acknowledged and validated if even by the simple act of greeting one another. If you are not working and working alone on your job search all day, you may feel as if you are nobody.

6.       Your self-confidence can use a boost in general if you have been off work for a while. Volunteering can help YOU feel more confident and capable which in turn will make it easier to convince others!

7.       Volunteering to work can expose you to other career paths or opportunities that you might not have considered or have been aware of. There is nothing like being “in the trenches” and knowing exactly where employer and industry needs lie.

8.  Obtain a letter of recommendation that will help when applying for other jobs, especially in a new career or industry.  If not, at least obtain a commitment for a verbal reference when called.

So how do you go about finding a volunteer opportunity and how do you select the right one? Here is an excellent article about how to do just that: http://www.wikihow.com/Volunteer.  For help looking at available opportunities you might try: http://www.volunteermatch.org/?gclid=CNPf44fWnrECFYio4AodGGIHgg.

If you have been unemployed for a while I would encourage you to just get started and get out there to do something – with your church, the church or non-profit nearest you – wherever! You will see immediate benefits and can give further time and thought to more career-related opportunities as you step away from the computerized job search and get out and about a bit more.

I'd love to hear from you! Comment below...

Mary Sherwood, MS, CDMS, CCM

lifeworks@mail.com

Professional, Rehab, &; Occupational Services, LLC

http://www.life-works.info

http://www.injuredworkerhelpdesk.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysevinsky

Landline 302.644.1827 | Mobile: 410.444.1989 | Skype Mary E. Sherwood

Read another great article:  Job Search Tip: map out your ideal day

Let me know how you are doing or how I can help! 

Comment below or reach out.

Your career is up to you!

Source: demco.com via Mary Sherwood on Pinterest

5 Ways to Get a Job

JULY 2, 2012 · BY MARY SHERWOOD SEVINSKY 

5 Ways Google+ Can Help Your Career Today · Download »

Recently, when explaining to a client that it was important to vary his approach to finding and applying to jobs, I stumbled upon the “Five Fingers of Job Search.”

In general, you are going to have the best results by spreading out your “hand” and tapping into more jobs.

Certainly other ways to get a job, but if you follow these recommendations, you are bound to be successful.

To find the most jobs, you will want your fingers to spread over the following job search resources:
Read More