Tips on how to find a job from cover letters and resumes to the all important interview. Lessons I learned about professional promotion.
Whether it’s your first or tenth job hunt, heading out on a part time job search or hunting for your dream career, these tips are sure to assist you every time. All of these suggestions come from a class I took in college entitled “Promoting Yourself Professionally.” As a testament to the success that can be achieved by incorporating a few simple job hunt strategies, I landed my first full time job as a university office assistant two months after graduating with my college diploma.
Why cover letters are important
Every job search should include a cover letter. That statement was stressed by my college instructor over and over again. A cover letter gets the employer to read your resume. Every time you try to get a job, you should customize the cover letter; mass producing them is a big mistake.
The first paragraph of my cover letter always includes why I am applying and how I learned of the job opening. The second and third paragraphs highlight the employment experience that is relevant to the position, what skills I have that make me qualified to handle the work, and any education and additional experience I have that makes me an outstanding candidate. Always remember, while writing a cover letter, to focus on what you can do for the company instead of what the company can do for you. The final paragraph is where I request an interview at the employer’s earliest convenience and express my sincere thanks for the opportunity to apply for the position.
A final cover letter tip, that has remained in my mind since my days as a college student, is to call and find out who I am addressing the letter to, and what the proper spelling of that person’s name is. This practice takes a little extra effort, but will show sincere interest and your willingness to go that extra step.
Different Resume Styles
Before I started college, I wasn’t aware that there were different styles of resumes: chronological and functional. Most people are familiar with the chronological style, but for people with little work experience (like me at the time), a functional resume is much more practical.
Functional Resume
My first real resume, and the one that got me my job at Brandon University, was done in the functional style. A functional resume describes work experience by emphasizing the skills involved. Details are grouped together under relevant headings that indicate expertise; such as communication or leadership skills, among others. For someone like me who had only babysat, cut a few lawns, served at a small town cafe, and worked as a Student/Youth Job Assistant for few months in the summers, a functional resume was exactly what I needed to showcase my skills without focusing on my amateur employment record.
Chronological Resume
When my position at Brandon University went from temporary to permanent, I decided that I had enough work experience to switch to a chronological resume. The chronological style arranges work experience in order by the dates of jobs held, placing the most recent first. An emphasis is placed on job titles and employment history.
How to Have a Successful Interview
When I graduated college and began my career search, I participated in six different interviews within the span of a few weeks. I experienced every situation from a casual one-on-one interview to an intense four-person questioning panel. The most important tip I received in college and, in turn, have to offer, is to prepare for interviews ahead of time. Have a friend or family member act out a mock interview with you using sample interview questions.
Another important interview preparation technique is researching the company. A sure way to end your chances at a being the successful candidate, is to answer the question, “What can you tell us about our company?” with “I don’t know.” All it takes to learn a little about what the company does is a quick online search, a simple phone call, or a casual stroll by the location.
Once, I made a point of speaking to a complete stranger who worked in the office I was interviewing to work in. I got that job. On two separate occasions, I did a quick web search, made some notes, did some memorizing, and took my new found knowledge into the interview with me. I was offered both positions. A little extra time to gain a little extra knowledge can be the big difference between whether or not you get the job.
Professional Self Promotion
Very seldom does it happen that a job just falls in place. Typically, seeking a job requires diligence and effort. A good way to stress the importance of the job hunt is to say that you should spend the same amount of time searching for a job as you would doing the work itself. With a well written cover letter and resume and the proper interview etiquette, your job search is sure to be successful.
