First of all your age; gone are the days when you could start one job and have that career forever. Today yes some people stay in the one industry for decades but usually that is from personal preferences. In this new millennium people are far more mobile and jobs are frequently changing radically in nature.
Now I like helping people and I like avoiding a lot of hard work. While I would love to have that job where I build something like a house roof so I can see my efforts as my reward, I prefer the lazy laid back lifestyle. In fact my personal goals are to work as hard as a professional politician. Politicians work about 180 days per year ; now they will tell you they do more than that , but remember ... they are politicians so their words are probably not exactly correct . . .
So as I said if you are young you need to gravitate toward an industry where you have some job security and some job mobility. For example being a lawyer means you need to pass the Law Bar examination in every State you wish to work, so its hard to change States you work in, but there are many different fields such as liability or criminal law; so you have many ways to reinvent yourself over time.
If you are selecting a manual worker type job you need something with some skills, picking fruit while hard work is unlikely ever to be a good paying job. Becoming a Doctor is a good paying job if you forget the many years of no income and college debt to qualify as a Medical Officer (MD). Being an airlines pilot pays nothing, simply there are to many people who will happily fly planes for almost no wages; thus you will never earn a serious wage . . .
I selected being a Registered Nurse (male ; aged 50 years), this means I can usually find work wherever I want. As long as I keep things fairly straight forward I can land jobs. The key is a few rules; when looking for work some things are paramount ! ! !
- Never speak badly about your last job, now your boss could have stabbed you in the arm with a fork; but your employer is not interested they are seeking you to commit the sin of complaining about your past supervisor, never ever complain. In the past I was physically slapped by a supervisor but you can be assured I never tell my new bosses that ! ! !
Never volunteer all the details, keep on track and only answer what is asked; your interviewer does not want everything just the answer to what they asked, be consistent and honest up to a point and believable but do not clearly tell untruths.
Always be open and working to keep the communication bridges flowing, work to keep the person engaged, you landing the job will be measured at how personable you are, this means how you interact and relate to others. The person you are speaking with will probably know how to summarize a persons personality so make sure you upsell yourself well, they expect this.
- Dress for the job, if it is smart casual do not wear a suit, if it is female business dress accordingly. I always remember my old boss. She had an important professional uniformed business meeting, she wore a shirt two sizes to small, with the top two buttons undone !!! In addition she wore mid thigh shorts, fishnet stocking and high heels; you can imagine what sort of professional she looked like (prostitute = pro)... Always consider careful eye contact and body language, never interrupt and use respectful polite manners, dirty glasses, bad breathe or a scraggly beard = game over...
*Now research, start sniffing around any contacts or people, internet everything and write it down, dates numbers names. These people are busy workers, they are not your friends, you must be fast, polite, respectful and make them want to hear more from you ! ! !
- Every job you get a call back about will mean another 9 jobs of nothing, never expect to land an interview in your first fifty calls. You must maintain a professional attitude, you might have been knocked back 15 times today; your next interviewer does not want to hear how bad your rejections are. In fact never tell them, you will be expected to work long and hard and if you cannot handle a few job rejections well your future employer will see you as weak. You need to appear strong, resourceful and resilient. This future employer fears you, if they let you into the company and 4 months later you are suing them for wrongful termination that goes on their own internal performance report ! ! !
- Nothing personal in the job seeking, if your cat needs diabetic injections twice a day; do not tell your potential boss. In fact they are not allowed to even ask if your in a relationship, so be careful what information you volunteer. You need to be realistic if you have epilepsy you cannot apply for jobs working on rooftops, so consider your own needs. If you love partying Friday and Saturday nights do not apply for a bar tender job, your boss probably wants you to work at the busier times, especially if your a good employee . . .
Now start to polish your act, once you know the type of job you want ring up for the job you will never get.
This always lands me the job... I ring 99 miles away, I ask and gather questions; I want to find out the job titles, work conditions etc.
I am researching and learning how to ask the correct employee type questions.
I am using this distant location to gather statistics about how much work is around, whats it pay etc. Essentially I am polishing my act, I am trying to mess up this interview; I am learning and adapting ! ! ! Now I ring places only 75 miles away, ( yes you can tell harmless lies such as that you live close by etc. ) but that is just to learn more. As I continue to ring or contact places my questions and speech is much more relaxed and tailored to land me the interview.
When I am satisfied I research my real logical prospects, by this stage I should know how much work and job requirements exist. I am relaxed, nothing is personal ; I expect this person to say no. Maybe they do not need someone, maybe they are going on a weeks vacation next week ; anything could prevent you from that next step.
Have your resume updated and cover letter arranged and some details of when you could meet for an interview.
Your job is to be an actor, nothing is personal; give the boss what you can legally, morally and ethically give them and they might even give you work AND MONEY : )
Thanks Pixabay for the images : )
Who are you networking with ; )