How to Get a Job

There seems to be a growing consensus among job seekers that employers "owe you" a job. That just because you walk in the door, they ought to hire you and feel lucky to have you. Let this be a warning, prospective employers recognize this attitude, and if they detect it in you, it is likely that you will not be hired. The most important step in the job seeking process is to realize that absolutely ANY employer that agrees to invite you to be part of their operation and cut you a pay check is doing YOU a favor. Our paychecks are the backbone of our lives. They provide our homes, our clothing, our cars, our food. This is what an employer does for you by offering you a job, and it is important to accept that with an attitude of gratitude!

Resumes
The next and second most important step is the resume. Resumes should be professional and well organized in a way that makes sense. It's not a manuscript, telling the story of your life. It's an itemized outline of positions that you have held and what those positions entailed. Be honest. Avoid the common practice of "padding" your resume. Don't say anything on there that is not true because many prospective employers WILL confirm what you have presented. On the flip side of that token, make sure you don't leave anything off! Think really hard about your accomplishments, in the work place and in life in general! Not everything on a resume has to be about a job that you were paid for. Make sure to include information about volunteer work or self employment ventures that you have embarked upon. I recommend steering away from long drawn out descriptions about every single thing you did at every single job. If the prospective employer wants to know, he'll ask you during an interview. Instead, you will have a lot of positive response if you include a section in your resume entitled "Accomplishments in the Workplace". Use this space to go into more detail about five to ten specific things you've done to contribute your valuable assets to the company and the outcome.

Also, it is crucial to include great references. It might be a mistake to use your drunken, ex-con cousin as a reference. Instead try to think of past business associates, or community leaders. It's a great idea to use someone as a reference that has some kind of association with the sort of work you are applying for. Their opinion will be much more important to prospective employers.

Submit your resumes in person when possible. When you do go out to submit resumes and fill out applications, make sure that you dress in business attire, and present yourself professionally. You never know when an on-the-spot interview might unfold! Also, treat whomever you submit the resume or application to as if they are the person in charge of hiring. Even if they aren't and you know it, you never know when they might call the personnel director and say something like,"gosh that girl was awfully nice, you should hire her," or "man he was a JERK, do NOT hire him!" Sometimes, the people at the front desk have more pull than you think. Anyway, it's just a nice thing to do to be kind to people even if they're not in a position to help you.

It is a common practice to make phone calls to follow up on resume submission. Although this does sometimes serve as an extra way to express your interest, it is actually usually just a nuisance to employers. Just receiving the resume is usually enough for them to know that you are interested. If you feel very strongly that you should do this, only call ONCE. Multiple phone calls will almost definitely turn off an employer. Do not try to "annoy" your way into a job.

How to dress
Let's take a closer look at business attire. It is shocking sometimes what people will show up wearing to ask someone for a job. If you come strolling in to submit an application or partake in an interview and you are dressed like a bum, you can pretty much count on being turned away unless the employer is really hard up. And if they're hard up enough not to care what you look like, then it's likely not a good place to work. You see, when a prospective employer sees that you couldn't even take the time to iron your shirt, or brush your hair, they feel you probably won't care enough to show up on time, or do a good job. Do you have to make yourself look like you just stepped off Wall Street? Of course not, it's also important not to OVER do it. Just follow these simple rules of thumb: Make sure your clothing are clean and pressed. Make sure that you are well groomed with well managed hair. If you are male, make sure you are shaven, or that your facial hair is very well maintained. Avoid jeans and sneakers. If you have tattoos and piercings, do your best to cover them. Some people feel they shouldn't be hindered by their tattoos and piercings... But the fact of the matter is, your job isn't necessarily all about you and your personality! It's about what you can do to best serve the person signing your paycheck. So if they don't want you to look like you just came from a Marilyn Manson concert, then so be it. You do your best to accommodate them.

A popular theory is that you should "dress for the job you want." However, over doing it can also sometimes alienate an interviewer and make them feel you think yourself to be over qualified, or out to get someone else's job.

The Interview
When you are invited to be interviewed in person with a member of the hiring personnel, treat this occasion with the honor and respect it deserves. Remember, they could potentially be offering you an opportunity to EARN MONEY, as already discussed. Make sure that you arrive on time, but not more than 15 minutes early. Arriving too early can cut into the time the interviewer was spending doing something else and make them feel rushed.

Do not walk up to the door smoking a cigarette. If you feel the need to smoke on the way to the interview, extinguish it in your vehicle. Do not litter company property with your cigarette, and do not make yourself look foolish by walking straight up to the door with it. It will make an interviewer wonder if you will take a lot of unauthorized smoke breaks.

While speaking with the interviewer, be polite and cordial. While it is imperative to be yourself, also remember to avoid slang terms, and definitely THE USAGE OF PROFANITY. Be friendly, but not too friendly. It is not at all necessary for you to disclose every aspect of your personal life to this total stranger.

When fielding an interviewer's questions, the key is to be POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE. Don't talk about why you hate your current position and your current boss who abuses you and you wish would drop dead. Put a positive spin on it. When asked why you want to leave your current position, try saying that the position they have open is just so perfect for you that you can't pass up the opportunity. Sometimes you may be asked about mistakes you have made in the workplace. Make sure that when you disclose this information, you follow it up with what you learned to prevent you from ever making that mistake again.

Make sure that YOU ask questions as well! You may really think you want the job and go ahead and accept it, then find out later that there were a lot of things that you didn't know. Because you DIDN'T ASK. Interviewers will perceive your questions as genuine interest in the position, so go ahead and fire away.

When the interview is complete, offer a firm handshake. When you give a wimpy handshake, you seem like a wimp. It's just that simple.

It is also IMPERATIVE if you have children, that you already have childcare lined up before you go into the interview. There is always the possibility that you will be offered the job on the spot, and this detail MUST be taken care of before you can accept. That way you are spared the embarrassment of having to back out later because you didn't have a sitter.

In closing
Remember, whatever job that you are seeking should be treated as though it is the greatest job on earth. Whether you are a CEO or a waitress, the pay that you receive affords you the life that you live! If you walk into an interview with that attitude, you will be a very attractive candidate!