Articles - Page 222 of 260 - The Voice of Job Seekers

3 Things to Remember If You’re Unemployed Like I Was

Editor’s note: Drew Tewell is our contributor today. Since I met Drew Tewell, we talked daily or have exchanged ideas through our common social channels. His latest book is The Dream Job Program: Get the job you want.

“Tough times never last, but tough people do”

Robert Schuller

Being unemployed is not easy. I can say this from experience. I have only been at my current job for three weeks.

Today I want to share with you three things to remember if you’re unemployed.

1. You will find another job

This is very important. When you are unemployed, things can seem hopeless. But you must not lose hope.

In my search for another job, one of the things I did was to focus my job search. What I mean by this is that I picked one position, employment recruiter, to go after.

Having a focus for your job search will help to concentrate all your efforts and make them more effective. Meaning, you will find a job faster.

2. This is only temporary

Even though it may feel like you have been out of work forever, and even though there may be no end in sight, this to shall pass.

Another tip to help you find a job faster is to schedule your job search. I spent some time in the morning, before my son woke up, and some time in the afternoon, while my son was taking a nap, looking for work.

Having a schedule and sticking to it will help keep your job search a priority among all the other things you have going on in your life.

3. Your dream job is waiting
If you currently find yourself unemployed, why not take some time to discover and land your dream job.

And when I say dream job, I am not talking about getting your one and only “dream job”. The fact of matter is that you will probably have many more jobs spanning over your entire work life. What I am talking about is you getting the job you want at this age and stage in your professional life.

My final tip is actually the first thing you should do if you want to find a better job than you had before and that is to figure out what you want in your next job.

Years ago, after being fired from a job I didn’t like, I took some time to figure out what I wanted in my next job. I wrote down 3 things:

I wanted a job where I could help people.
I wanted a job where I could make more money.
I wanted a job where I could work with young people (I previously had a positive experience working with and mentoring youth).

I ended up targeting organizations that worked with young people and calling them directly. One of the organizations that I contacted had an opening that they were looking to fill immediately. I ended up landing a job helping people, making more money, and working with young people! In addition, this is where I started helping people with their work and careers, which is what I still do.

If I had not taken the time to figure out what I wanted in my next job, I may have never found that opportunity.

So if you are unemployed, be encouraged and remember:

You will find another job.
This is only temporary.
Your dream job is waiting.

Consider putting into practice the tips I mentioned. And before you know it, you will be talking to the right person at the right time who is hiring for the job you want.

Question: What advice would you give someone who is currently unemployed?

The Dream Job Program by Drew Tewell

If you are currently unemployed, or you just don’t like your job, and you would like to discover and land your dream job, go to dreamjobprogram.com.Enter your email address and you’ll get a FREE copy of my book, The Dream Job Program: Get the job you want (which sells on Amazon).This is the same material that I took my coaching clients through. The only difference is they paid me hundreds of dollars for it.

by Dunya Carter

5 Ways Volunteer Work Enhances Your Job Search

In the never-ending search for better work and higher pay, it can be extremely easy to brush off volunteering. After all, isn’t volunteering just for elementary school fundraisers and community environmental projects? Most certainly not! Volunteering can provide a unique, powerful, and possibly even fulfilling way to improve both yourself and your future job prospects if you have the drive to take advantage of it.

1. Chance to Acquire More Experience

Especially for younger adults just getting into the work world, experience is one of the major barriers to landing that ideal position, even for those with the education credentials. If you can’t get someone to pay you to do what you want just yet, try volunteering to do it, or something closely related, for free.

Volunteering work looks great on a resume because it not only shows the employer that you have dabbled in the work in question, but it makes you look like a “team player” willing to go the extra mile to get a job done even without explicit reward. Even if the work isn’t directly related to the position you apply for, regular volunteering shows that you are able to manage your time and commit to a goal once you’ve begun it, both vital qualities in any employee.

2. Chance to Develop Skills

Other than the extra lines on your resume, the actual activities you undertake during volunteering can help you refine and improve any number of skills. Different volunteering projects can have you learning a new computer program, working with the public, teaching, understanding a different aspect of a business, and more.

Volunteering can be a great way to keep polished skills that you do not get to use much in your actual job: for example, an accountant who tends to work on his own most of the day might want to volunteer at the local fair to get more personal interaction with the public, just in case a new, more socially active position opens up later.

3. Chance to Explore New Things

If you are looking to change careers (or for young people, not quite sure where to even start), volunteering can be a low-stress way to explore a lot of different fields without the firm commitment of an actual job – nor the difficulty in actually attaining a position. A hospital volunteer, for example, can see many of the daily happenings of the nurses, doctors, specialists, administration staff, and others, giving a first-hand view into what a day in one of those positions could be like. If you like animals, you can find a volunteer program helping endangered wildlife. A person interested in teaching who also loves travel can find a suitable international volunteering program and help local communities in countries such as Cambodia, Thailand or Costa Rica, while also experiencing a different culture and practicing teaching.

4. Chance to Network

In business, it is never about what you know nearly as much as it is who you know. Volunteering, especially in an industry you are interested in joining on a professional level, exposes you to a huge range of people that you would never have a chance to meet otherwise. You never know when a connection could turn into a relationship that could turn into a potential job offer down the line.

That even ignores the personal benefits of expanding your worldview and making new friends, which can help improve you as a person and make you a better employee wherever you are!

5. Chance to Stay Active

In this economy, it is the unfortunate truth that many have spent far longer unemployed than they would ever wish to. One of the biggest problems with extended unemployment is the malaise that settles over someone lost as to how to spend their days when waiting for a call back. Even worse, that kind of inactivity can look bad on job applications, making getting a job even harder the longer you remain unemployed.

Volunteering provides a way to spend time and provide a sense of purpose so you can feel like you are accomplishing something while out of work. It also can impress a potential employer who sees that when out of work, you continued to find fulfilling and useful ways to occupy yourself, displaying a drive above and beyond most other applicants.

Not all the benefits of having a job are monetary, and while volunteering lacks a paycheck at the end of the week, it often has those secondary benefits available in spades. Never discount how much working for free can increase your earning opportunity in the future!

Dunya Carter wrote this article to support and spread the word about a wonderful EDventure International program for those interested in volunteering in Cambodia. Their Facebook page is also a great source of information on how you can help local communities in Cambodia, Thailand, South Africa and Costa Rica.

by Meghan Ivarsson

Just Graduated and Looking For a Job! Now What?

Getting a job after graduating college is not very hard, but there is a high chance that most students have never applied for a job. Therefore, this simple process becomes a new experience that can lead to frustration before or after he or she graduated. This article covers a few ways you can get a job whether you are an experienced or new job seeker.

Career Days

Many universities have these because they benefit both sides. They benefit the students because there is the chance of jobs, and benefit the companies because they get fresh talent whilst you are still cheap to hire. The whole process is a little bit doubled-edged because you are faced with competing for jobs with large numbers of your own peers. Still they are worth a look if you get the chance.

Research the company want to work for

This is a frighteningly powerful tip because it involves taking a large risk. The more research you do then the higher the chance that you are going to get an interview, but also the more you lose if you do not get the job. Research into current workers, current employment policies, and current openings. You may find out that they hire people who are known by the other staff, so get to know the other staff on social media. You may find out that they get a lot of applications that are incorrectly filled or discover that they do not read resumes. The more you research then the more information you will have to increase your chances of getting the job.

The guidance counselor

If you are still in college then you should try the guidance counselor, but you should know a few things first. Some counselors are good at their job and some are bad, so you may wish to take their ideas and comments with a pinch of salt. Secondly, if a counselor does not know much about the industry he or she may sway you into trying to work in a different area that he or she is more familiar with. Thirdly, the counselors are not often very good with helping you figure out what you want to do, but are not bad at telling you what to do when you figure it out. If you go in for career and education advice with a few ideas then the counselor may be able to point you in the right direction.

Break tradition

People always tell you to keep your resume short and sweet, but only one resume is going to be picked for the job. You have to ask yourself if it matters that much. Go the opposite way and make a booklet about you and how perfect you are for that company. Put your face and top achievements on the front, have a chapter for your experience, another for your qualifications, etc.

Be persistent

Firstly, we must define persistent and nagging. Persistent is applying to the same company for a job every time they open a new job up. It means re-writing your resume every time you apply and changing the layout and content into a new piece of literature that promotes you and your skills. Persistence means applying even if they say to not apply if you have done in the past. Nagging however is asking if you have the job after applying. It is asking if you have the job after an interview. If you are waiting for acceptance then assume you are rejected and keep trying other places, then reapply the next time they have an opening.

Meghan is a recent graduate and a freelance writer for Scholar Advisor, an educational portal that contains useful tips on essay format and styles, essay samples and writing guides. She regularly contributes article on education and career advice. Meghan lives and studies in the USA.