Category: References

  • Matching Your Skills to Appropriate Jobs


    Know your skills

    Skills refer to the things you do well or the tasks you perform well; so for example, someone who writes well can be described as having good writing skills. It follows then, that a key to finding the most appropriate job in a given industry is to recognize and understand your own skills and communicating their significance – written as well as verbally – to a probable employer.

    A majority of the most viable skills are those that are most used in various types of work settings. What are these skills? Would you be successful matching your skills with the job being offered in order to find the right job?

    Determine your skills. This will help you in becoming the lead candidate for landing your ideal job. A skill does not necessarily have to be something that was adapted in a work environment. If this would be your first job hunt and you have no job experience to date, you still have a chance in the industry.

    Hobby skills help

    In more cases than not, skills – including knowledge-based and transferable – could be absorbed and developed as a volunteer, a student, a homemaker, or in many of your other personal activities. The skills you have used for these activities can still be applied to your desired job.

    Organizing and listing your personal skills could help you easily fill out job applications, provide useful information for job interviews, and prepare quality resumes. First, you should categorize these skills by separating your interests and aptitudes from your work experience.

    Aptitudes & interests

    Aptitudes and interest include all of your hobbies, activities in which you have been involved in the past, and all the things that interest you. By making a list of these qualities, you could examine the skills it takes to achieve each item.

    Skills from aptitude and interest may be homemaking, playing basketball, fixing cars and others. All of these items could determine if you are capable of working with a team; able to handle multiple tasks; have viable knowledge of human development; have knowledge of electronics and the ability to diagnose mechanical and numerical problems. The list goes on, but make sure to consider the skills that would be most appropriate for a working environment.

    Work history

    Work history includes volunteer, part-time, freelance, summer and full time jobs. Once you have listed all your past employment and the duties carried out in those positions, examine the skills you utilized to perform those duties and how they will relate to the new job.

    Ask for help. As soon as you have your list ready, you could now go to job services that could help you acquire your desired job. You could also search the job yourself. However, always remember to match the skills and abilities in your list to the needed skills and abilities of various jobs.

    In most cases, people who seek jobs are threatened with job titles. This should not be the case because as long as your skills and abilities are adequate enough to meet requirements of the workload and job title, the possibility of acquiring your desired job increases.

  • Seven Basic Salary Negotiation Tips


    Money is the most sensitive issue in the whole hiring process. Discussing the compensation often causes anxiety on both employee and employer. So with that in mind we have provided in the following paragraphs, a few steps a job seeker can take to make the process of salary negotiating smoother and more efficient.

    Do research – value skills

    Research – Before the interview process begins, contact the professional organization that represents your field of career. As soon as they provide you with your salary information, you can now examine your monthly cash requirements. Remember that once your taxes are added to your paycheck, approximately 30% of your gross monthly salary is deducted.

    Determine your skills – You should understand that different segments of the economy require a variety of skills depending on the industry setting. Once you have established what your skills are and what they are worth to the current employment market, you would know the limitations of your negotiation.

    Salary range information is available at American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries, National Association of College and Employers, Career Center, and professionals in your related field.

    In stating your salary range, avoid basing your desired salary on your current salary. Always tell the truth when it comes to your past salary. It is acceptable to extend a range to approximately $6,000 to show that you are within the company’s price range but interested in more compensation.

    Sell yourself

    Weigh the company’s compensation package – To determine your fair market value for a specific job, you should consider the economic, geographic, and industry factors of the job offer. Weigh the benefits of compensation and promotions, insurance, allowed time off and retirement settlements of the offer to ensure a fair proposed salary.

    Sell yourself – If you know what you could offer the company requires a larger income, never say it directly. Once you sell yourself discreetly, the interviewer would understand that the proposed salary is not appropriate for your background.

    Attitude counts

    Have a positive attitude – In negotiating, never compete. Negotiation is basically a process which could benefit both parties. Understand your needs and those of the company.

    The final offer – Be aware when the negotiation is done. Pushing further when a deal has been set could give a negative first impression on your part.

    Show what you are made of – The interview is only the first step in having an enhanced compensation. Once you are hired, offer your skills to the company and prove your worth by doing quality work. You may even get a promotion for doing so.

    Based from a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, four out of five employees are willing to negotiate compensation. Understanding these basic tips will allow you to enhance the terms of your new job.


  • The Ideal Resume


    Resume first

    When a job seeker goes for an interview the potential employer has no idea of who the applicant is. In some cases the job seeker answered an ad while others go through a headhunter or job site on the internet and matched their credentials for the position.

    The first item employers will always look at is the job seeker’s resume; and given the many that apply, this usually takes about 30 seconds and so with as few words as possible the job seeker must be sure that his/her resume is well-written and grammatically correct.

    Resume body

    The resume must say almost everything about the person. This should always start with pertinent information such as the person’s name, age, address, contact number and social security number. The details here are needed so if one is considered to be a potential employer, it will be easy for the company to get in touch with the applicant and be scheduled for an interview.

    Next is the career objective which is the reason why the applicant wants to apply for the position. By putting a strong goal in mind and not a general one, the employer will see that this person has a direction which is why that person wants to work for the company.

    Skills & education

    The next section should include the relevant skills and knowledge one has had in the current and previous jobs as well as highlighting his/her major accomplishments. By including and detailing the things one has done in that position and experiences learned from it, that information forms a basis for the employer to see the potential that applicant has for the position. It shows the qualities one possesses and the contributions s/he can make to the further growth of the company.

    After that, the resume should show one’s educational background. Some companies prefer someone with a degree in a certain field, a licensed professional to do the job or one who possesses a master’s degree. By showing one’s credentials, it is a good indicator of the type of training one has possessed in school and the accomplishments one has achieved in the course of one’s career.

    Social & hobbies

    The latter section should provide details such as hobbies, interests and character references. Employers look at potential applicants who not only have the qualifications for the job but also those who also those who are well rounded. Being active in a certain organization and be seen as a leader in a group shows one’s social skills with others. Character references do the same and give people an idea how one performed working with that person.

    There is no ideal resume. It depends on the job. It is an important step one must take in order to be called for that first interview.

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  • A Little Extra Money for Teenagers


    Teenagers’ jobs

    Some teenagers believe that having the ability to get a job and earn money while they are still in school would be the next best thing to getting a real job and, based on this belief, many teenaged kids would really like to be able to find employment even if the job is part time.

    With that in mind, we have put together a few tips and suggestions in the following paragraphs that teenagers should keep in mind when going approaching a potential employer to apply for a part-time job.

    A resume

    Teenagers must prepare a resume even when applying for part time work, because even if the individual does not have experience, the resume will show the employer that a little effort was made on the part of the applicant in producing something on paper.

    A resume may contain highlights or strengths about the applicant which could make the him/her stand out over others who have applied for the same position, and in the end, get that job.

    Appropriate attire

    When meeting an employer, being dressed appropriately is important because it shows sincerity and seriousness of the person applying for that job. Such applicants must also make sure that finger-nails and hair are well groomed for the interview; and the outfit worn could be business casual.

    A polo and khaki pants will be ideal for men and a polo and skirt for women will do well for the interview. This would mean that moderate shoes must be used to match the outfit. If a job applicant wears a lot of earrings, it is advisable to remove some of them in order to present a better image.

    Getting a job is not easy and there will be a lot of times that an employer will say “no.” This is nothing personal but some employers will prefer someone who has a little experience. Even if an application is rejected, the person must not give up on getting that part time job and moving on to the next potential employer.

    Persist with confidence

    When a job seeker is already in front of the employer, a firm handshake is always a good start. Walking in and showing one’s sincerity in getting the job is another. There is only so much a job seeker can say at an interview, so it is best to practice on selling the interviewer what strengths of character and skills s/he already possesses that might enhance his/her chances of getting that job.

    In the course of going from one employer to another the employer will not provide immediate answers as to whether or not the person is hired for the job. Other applicants will still be interviewed before employers are inclined to make their decisions. By keeping a list of the places where a job seeker went for interviews, they will be able to call and follow up on statuses of the applications.

    Part time jobs are available in various places including while job seekers walk the neighborhood, check the school bulletin board or peruse local newspapers; and even browse the web for job postings. So teenagers who are seeking part-time employment while still in school need not be disappointed if they don’t get immediate results, because the idea is to keep trying until success is achieved.

  • Apply for Available Jobs Online


    Web-enabled job seek

    In the past, applying for a job meant looking through classified ads in the local newspapers; but the advent and rapid growth of internet use have led to the creation various online job sites making it easier for anyone to pursue work in other states and even in other countries.

    The Internet – or Web, as it is often referred to – has made the world a smaller place with everything having been placed at our fingertips with just a few clicks of a mouse. Most job sites will require a person to open an account, complete a form by providing certain information and upload a resume.

    The kind of information usually requested by these sites is pertinent in nature, such as an individual’s name, age, address, contact phone number and social security number, among other such data.

    Such other data might often include the job seeker’s educational background since some companies prefer their employees to possess a degree in a certain field or individuals with professional licenses to do the job. However, a person who possesses a master’s degree would in most cases meet little resistance.

    Employment history is another thing that would be required on most job applications. This part of the application might include the job description, experiences and highlights the applicant has amassed during his/her career.

    Specialized sites

    Once the requested information has been provided, some of these specialized job sites will offer the service for a fee that will match the applicant’s qualifications with jobs that are available and enable him/her to apply for the position. Some even promise to make your resume stand out over other applicants giving that person more priority over others but even that is a not a guarantee that one will get the job.

    Current salary and the salary received from an applicant’s previous jobs/positions an individual held is information that most employers will be interested in knowing and therefore will be a part of the application since it helps determine what kind of salary that applicant desires.

    These sites offer various jobs to all types of job seekers and they cater to professionals, “regular joes” and teenagers who want to work on a full time, part time or on a per project basis.

    Employers’ portals

    Applying online is not only done through job sites because lot of companies have their own websites that offer a section on careers which can be accessed and checked for what openings might be available with those particular companies. A job seeker simply has to go through the similar process of providing certain information that is requested by the form and uploading his/her resume.

    The first impression employers or headhunters look for is the job applicant’s resume. Given that many people apply, this usually takes these people a short period of time to review and screen certain applicants before going to the next phase of being scheduled and called for an interview.

    There are many jobs available in the market and all it takes is a little effort on the job seeker’s part to sit down in front of a computer and look for the right job.

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  • Job Earnings for the New College Grad


    Fresh out of college, most people are excited about landing that first job and eagerly go about searching for it. Given that most grads do not have work experience, or only had a part time job while studying, it is not easy to secure an executive position right away.

    When starting from scratch an individual has no choice but to start from the bottom in an entry-level position and then – in time – move to the top, based on his/her performance. The challenge most grads face in applying for a job is the competition. Aside from those who just graduated, there are also those who have left the previous job and are looking for a new one.

    According to hiring and compensation experts, there is not that much room to negotiate when a job seeker is freshly out of college. This is because that person does not have substantial work experience as a basis from which to negotiate for a higher salary; especially in comparison to those who have adequate or substantial work experience.

    The range of the salary fresh grads would command is based on the course of study s/he has completed in college. From the group of college graduates who volunteered to be surveyed, it was found that those who graduated from the sciences were able to get a higher salary compared to those who graduated from the liberal arts curiculum.

    If you are a new college graduate, one tip that may help you a little in the negotiation process is knowing your potential and not easily giving in or selling yourself short. In the course of an interview it will boil down to the how much you will be getting. Most fresh grads accept what is given immediately and reply “okay” ending it there.

    It is best to only talk about the salary when an offer has been made. If the interviewer is good, it can wait. During that time, you can try asking how much the company will pay for someone in that position and then be able to negotiate about that later on, regardless of the figure that was given.

    The applicant can then ask questions such as job responsibilities, and mention that the contribution s/he can give to the company is more important than the salary s/he will be receiving showing the recruiter s/he is a team player.

    Applicants can negotiate more by doing research on how much other companies are offering for the same job before giving an immediate answer. Being armed with that information makes it possible for you to negotiate the salary offered, and perhaps get a little more.

    Getting a job is not only about a salary though. The process often includes other things that the company offers to its employees; and thoroughly checking out the other benefits and perks can also help in deciding whether the applicant should accept the job or not.