The Best Handful of Tips 61 –

No Job – What Now?

Are you looking for work? Have you lost your job? Have you graduated and cannot get a job? Have you been demobbed from the armed forces? Are you returning to the work force after a prolonged absence, such as raising a family?

            Looking for a new job is not easy and it should be tackled logically and professionally.

            You will need qualifications and work experience. If you lack these do volunteer work to help get your foot in the door and do some study.

Five of the best tips when job hunting

1. Build strong networks

Contacts are important when looking for work. It ‘s not what you know but who you know that often gets you a new job. Join social, religious or sporting groups to get known.

2. Focus on friends and supporters

Approach  friends, old school mates and relatives and renew contacts with others who could help. Ask them if they know of any suitable job vacancies and if they could look out for a job for you. This is one of the best ways to find a job.

            Many Asian and Pacific business managers say they recruit first from people they know in their family, their village and from their friends. It may not be the best way to recruit but that’s what happens.  

3. Emphasise your achievements

Organisations look for reliable people who can get things done. What have you done?

            Stack your resume with your achievements. List your academic achievements, your work experiences and your non-work achievements. Don’t forget your sporting successes, offices you have held in clubs, and roles in music, drama and educational groups.

4. Get listed with several employment agencies

Visit recruitment agencies to enquire about vacancies. Dress well and leave a quality brief up-to-date resume of your qualifications and work experiences containing names of high profile referees. What are you good at? What contribution could you make for an employer?

5. Create your own work

If no suitable jobs are available consider training for a new career. Learning a new skill can be stimulating and rewarding. Today many qualifications can be obtained on-line at home.

            What are your interests and hobbies? Use your skills to set up your own business and start working from home. More and more people work from their home these days and this will only grow. You can grow, make, or produce things to sell at the local markets.

            Seek work overseas in a new country. Often you can get your foot in the door by working in a voluntary organisation such as a Non Government Organisation (NGO).

            Many countries have volunteer services abroad that pay a nominal salary and cover costs. It’s a good way to gain work experience and to make a worthwhile contribution.

            There are many job possibilities if you show a little initiative but you must make an effort and approach job hunting in a logical and professional manner. And don’t give up!

-Geoffrey Moss

“Success occurs when opportunity and preparation meet.”   

SOURCE: “No Job! What Now?” Published by Moss Associates Ltd, Cengage Learning Asia also available as an e-book from Amazon.com and VitalSource Bookshelf.