1. Searching for jobs opportunities By alvinng77

Hi Folks all right first post for 1st series How to find a job and get it! Done...sorry for the wait as I was overwhelmed with my day job recently in few projects and interviews. 

Many a time when it come to searching for job opportunities, generally I see and hear people saying "how many applications you sent" and "how many interviews you got" blar blar blar...in the end the conversation went closing with argg I have sent many applications but there are only a few interviews or WOW I have sent tons of applications everywhere and got many interviews. In conclusion, it may seem to be a number game in searching for jobs opportunities which I termed it the "Quantity search method" or layman term the "Anyhow method". 

"A quick disclaimer here" LOL some skilled labour jobs for example like operator, technician or even retail service jobs the number game still applies as rule of thumb which I agree and companies may only be open up to walk-in interviews for these positions and you have to be committed effort play the hard way to go for many interviews and walk-in many times just to fill up the application forms...let's hang tough guys! 

Reality, in current economic and job climate is not just the number game that counts to search for the job opportunities but is the know HOW and the RESUME which catch the eyeballs attention of the HR person who is screening all resumes/applications! I will focus on this which I termed it the "Quality search method". 

Let's touch on the know HOW first...before going to the RESUME part.  

What are the ways generally to search for jobs...to name the common ones will be the job portals, job boards, job advertisements, recruitment agent/headhunter, walk-in interviews, referrals etc. All ways work and i don wish to deep dive into individual methods on the pros & cons..not my objective of a lengthy article to bored down everyone! 

Job portals – Go direct search for job functions and industry to your "expertise" and "core experience" that you build up over your years of working experience...for example you have worked many years as a retail sales that is your "expertise"...continue to look for same retail jobs but look for "core experience" as well-meaning you are maybe tired of retail sales job and want a switch or a new change environment, you can lookout for positions too in customer service jobs, call center jobs, admin jobs or even logistics inventory jobs etc.  

Emphasize in resume how you demonstrate good customer service to your retail customers, how you make prompt follow up calls to engage or inform customers their items is ready for collection, how you upkeep and maintain all administration to support smooth retail operations, how you make sure stocks inventory is sufficient and ready in store for sales etc. In this way, your resume will definitely stand out among all applications received in the inbox. I will elaborate more on the RESUME part later... 

Job boards – Information are generally much limited in a job board cause is like what you see is what you get concept. You just have no choice but to apply and send in your application on what you see on the job board for the contact person or walk-in interview date as mentioned.  

A way to tackle this rather than you just send in your application blindly stated on the job board, you could simply give a call to the company and look for the contact person. If recept is the gatekeeper to the call, you can response and like to request for more information about the job opening seen on the job board. Call is through and your golden opportunity to ask the correct questions and impress the contact person before you send in your application. In this way, the person will remember you when your resume reached the inbox. 

Job advertisements – They are very similar to job boards except advertisements come with more information and well-designed artwork to impress the viewers who are the job applicants. Advertisements are pretty much costly nowadays as advertising space charges by box size of adv space. Companies generally do not advertise regularly unless they have the big budget to run the advertisement in long runs. Therefore when you see an advertisement and the job description is really what you want to work in, you can put in this act of commitment by mistaken identity. Dress well and pass by the company to hand a copy of your resume to the hr. Pass the gatekeeper by saying you have a walk-in interview. HR people are professionals and seldom reject guests at their companies’ doorway though you thought you could have a walk-in interview. Make sure you dress well and turn up to hand a copy of resume. I personally received few good resumes at my company doorway to my surprise before. Sound like a donkey years method but seldom much people does this nowadays. 

Recruitment agent/headhunter – It is not about just sending in resumes blindly to agencies advertisement or walk-in to agencies for a non-targeted interview. Recruiters and Headhunters are networkers...it is the building relationship with them in social media platforms over sometime i.e. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook etc...this will pay off and soon recruiters will keep you posted of market opportunities when time is ripe. 

Walk-in interviews – It is not just the number game of walk-in interviews you went but simply the punctuality and how early you turn up to cast a deep impression. 

Referrals – Base on market information and statistics recently, this is one of the common method of getting job opportunities but yet the most neglected compared to the first few. Reason being people generally feel shy approaching their friends or ex-colleagues for referrals. Do you know most companies have a referral fee system in place to reward all employees who successfully referred their friends to work in their companies. Remember employees are the best spokesmen of their own companies’ culture and work environment. Start reaching out to your friends and ex-colleagues grab some coffee and catch up old times…you never know what surprises or opportunities you may stumble upon!    

 

Lastly, how do you make sure your RESUME catch the eyeballs attention of the HR person who is screening all resumes/applications? 

Some quick facts from the internet and it may sound scary but I will share it with my own perspectives and what I look out for in resume to give you a general overview. 

In this infographic from our friends at BeHiring, we learn the following: Credit to BeHiring and some quick facts quote from them;  

• First applications are received 200 seconds after a job is posted
• Average time spent looking at a CV is 5-7 seconds
• One spelling or grammar mistake and your CV will be chucked in the bin
• 88% job rejection rate if you have a photo of yourself on your CV
• One in three employers rejected candidates based on something they found about them online
• An average of 250 CVs are received for each job position
• 68% of employers will find you on Facebook
• 17% chance that your cover letter will be read
• 76% of CVs are ignored if your email address is unprofessional

My own perspectives and what I look out for in resume; 

• I spend not 5-7 seconds generally 10-15 seconds in the first 2 pages for a quick eyeball on the key experience, achievement and career objective of the applicant. 
• Length of tenure on each company employment is an indication of what motivate the applicant.       

My very own tips for your resume to be captured by the HR or Recruiter; 

• Most recruiters spend 5-7 seconds to review your resume as such emphasize the key points, show what you are bringing to the organization and how you are going to add value. Keep it brief and convincing. Restrict your Resume to within 2 pages to 3 pages the maximum. 
• Display career objective and key achievements in your first page of resume. 
• Do not mention any reason for leaving the last job. These things are best discussed during face-to-face meetings. Mentioning this on Resume’s would distract the recruiter focus on the Resume. 
• Do not mention any current and expected remuneration in resume. Leave it for recruiter to call you and have a chance to strike conversation over phone. 
• Do NOT display a photo of yourself on your Resume unless you are in a profession which is required. Photo lead to visual impression instead of recruiter focusing on your key points on first page of resume. 

Hope you folks find it useful and stay tuned for my next post!  

Thanks

alvinng77