Look Interested, Not Desperate

Look Interested, Not DesperateLook Interested, Not DesperateA job interview is like dating - you want to seem interested but not overly interested to the point where youre undesirable - available but in demand, agreeable but with limits.People look for jobs for all sorts of reasons.You may want more money. You may want to work in a field that offers more growth. You may want to move to another part of the country. Often, a job seeker just wants to get away from her boss.These are all acceptable reasons to look for a new career opportunity, but theyre all wants as opposed to needs. When you need a job, its a bit of a different story.Even in the $100K+ job market, there are moments of desperation. Strategically, that can be a herausforderung because looking and acting like a desperate job seeker can be a huge turnoff to potential employers.Its like dating. You want to seem interested but not overly interested to the point where youre undesirable - available but in demand, agreeable but with limits.By being desperate, youre underselling your value and I dont think thats in your interest, said Mark Grimm, a public speaking trainer and author of Everyone Can Be A Dynamic Speaker. He said it all starts with your self assessment. Figuring out what you can offer a company can help you overcome any anxiety you have toward the needed job.You have to understand what your value is, Grimm said. The employer wants to hear, not arrogance, but a clear sense of what your value is.If youre dating someone you really like, you dont want to scare him away, right?You dont want to appear overeager, said Lisa Panarello, founder and CEO of Careers Advance, a professional training and coaching agency in New York. You dont want to follow up immediately (and) say yes to everything.Dont SettleIf you need a new job, it may be tempting to drop everything if a hiring company comes calling.When the interview is taking place, the hiring manager could lay out responsibilities that are not ide al. If you know what youre willing to do, Panarello says, you should make sure you dont agree just for the sake of agreeing - even if you are desperate.That whole Ill-go-anywhere attitude, its not what theyre looking for and its not realistic, she said. You still have to adapt your communication to whatever job youre looking for even if youre willing to come down a peg on salary or title.As the employment manager of the Houstonian Hotel, Club Spa in Houston, Texas, Kay Pyatt has been on the other end of such interviews for years and she can spot desperation from a mile away.Usually, she said, it comes in the form of a candidate who is applying for a particular position but he wants to keep a foot in the door of other less-paying jobs if he doesnt get the first one.Its a little distracting, she said.Pyatt said that secondary job interests are better discussed after theres closure on the first one.Its best in the beginning that you have a plan, she said. Certainly if that doesnt wo rk, we can look at something else.

6 Unique Job Search Tactics to Try

6 Unique Job Search Tactics to Try6 Unique Job Search Tactics to TryIn the high-stakes competitive sport that is job hunting, how do you get a leg up on your competition?Sometimes, the best approach is for a job seeker to think outside of the box and try some unique job search tactics.So even if youve targeted your career market, your job skills are up-to-par, your resume sparkles, and your interviewing know-how is spot-on, it might still leid be enough. Thats where creative job search tactics can come in handy.Take a look at these six unique job search tactics to try1. Get visual.Not all applications have to be of the printed paper resume and cover letter variety. Especially if youre in a visual field, like photography or design, whip up the best possible presentation of your career accomplishments and put it online. You can have a personal website or a digital portfolio that you can refer employers to, andn be sure to post your work on social media sites to show (rather than tell) what youre truly capable of achieving.2. Network creatively.Networking events are great- except that everyone there is looking to land their next job. Beat out the competition and learn how to network anywhere- and everywhere you go. That lady on line in front of you at your local home improvement store just might know a staffer at the company youre dying to work for. So treat any interaction with someone as a potential networking opportunity. That said, you shouldnt skip out on traditional networking events either, but include some like Meetups, Google hangouts, and alumni groups, too.3. Work for free- sort of.Sure, you need a paying job, but sometimes doing a little pro bono work (especially if it can get your foot in the door) isnt always a badeanstalt thing. If you really want to work at one particular company- and you havent heard back from the employer yet- why not show them that youre the one to hire? For example, you might create a Powerpoint presentation showing them some o f their pain points- and how youd solve them. Or if the company has a slumping social media presence, use your own social media channels to connect with them how you can boost their numbers. While it might appear to be doing work for free to some, what youre actually doing is staging your own audition for the job that shows what you really can do4. Start self-promoting.Self-promotion often gets a bad rap, because most people associate it with bragging. But done correctly, self-promotion can be a more aggressive way to grab a potential employers attention. Send out a professional Twitter bioor a Twesume (a.k.a. a Twitter resume), marketing yourself, your education, your experience, your specific career field, and even the company youd like to work for. Have other professionals vouch for your work ethic and post their replies on your social media channels.5. Make a match with a mentor.At some point in their job search, everyone can use a little career guidance. And thats where a mento r comes in. Work to find a mentor whose accomplishments you sincerely admire and whom you feel could be an integral part to your job search success. But having a mentor is a two-way street- be sure that you can also offer something in return for your mentors investment of time and energy. You can also consider approaching that person for an externship- spending a few days or more shadowing them to learn more about what they do.6. Be sure to follow-up.Although it might not seem all that unique, a good old-fashioned follow up can go a long way in making you a stand-out job candidate. When you have an interview or other meeting, make your follow-up contact more than just a perfunctory thank you for your time. Instead, cite specific advice or moments in the conversation that were useful to you or shed some insight. That makes you a much more memorable job candidateBrowse Open Flexible JobsJennifer Parris contributed to this post.

Customize this Outstanding Student Resume Sample

Customize this Outstanding Student Resume SampleCustomize this Outstanding Student Resume SampleWriting Your Student ResumeCreate Resume As a student, you have worked hard to reach your educational goals. Whether you have graduated with a degree or are still pursuing one, finding a job does not have to be too daunting, provided you are armed with a quality resume. A great way to approach a student resume when real world experience is light is to spotlight your achievements and attributes in other areas, looking at parteicular projects as work or through inclusion of internships and volunteer efforts. School work involves major projects, timelines, team collaboration, independent accountability and many facts of the work world. Use these experiences to indicate work history, albeit an as yet uncompensated one. In order to creatively indicate you have what it takes for a career-oriented position, include some of the followingInternships and volunteerismAccoladesSeminars, coursework or trainingAdministrative and technical skillsReferencesNext, to supplement the absence of real world work history on your resume, include soft skills you possess which make applicants stand out to employers. Some soft skills typical to the job market today includePersonal accountabilityIntegrity and compassionProblem-solvingCommunicationsTeam collaborationFormatting Your Student ResumeNow that you are aware of hintergrund and skills your resume must convey, organization of this information in a concise format must be considered. As with any project in college or the work world, presenting disorganized work will turn away potential for success. On your resume you must show, as a student work candidate, that you are professional, organized and structured in presentation, just as experienced counterparts may indicate they are through work history. Being organized and concise in your presentation will help you get into the door when lack of experience could otherwise fail you.Below are s ome specific sections of a widely accepted student resume and what each section should includeObjectiveProvide three present tense sentences positioning you as actively engaged in the role you seek. Be assertive in your statements of capabilities, attributes, knowledge and skill. Be powerful as an intriguing invitation for the recruiter to continue learning more about you.Background/ExperienceAs your background may be light in actual work history within the field, you must include other information to supplement occupational experience. Provide details of any jobs you have held, particularly orienting bullet statements of accomplishments in those roles to quantifiable results an employer in your chosen field would appreciate. If you have no work history whatsoever, work to include completed projects for courses, collaborative efforts such as planned events, fundraising, uncompensated work or other projects you have completed over the past few years.Certifications and TrainingTodays employee is one who faces lifelong learning as the foundation of their occupation. As a student, you have been engaged in an ongoing learning process as part of which you have received certifications and training. Applicable to the job you seek, provide listing of courses completed, trainings, degree programs and any certifications as part of your progression to the workplace.AchievementsBecause they indicate integrity and tenacity toward goals, your student accolades, awards and achievements should be showcased in this section.Customize Resume