1) in this market you might unexpectedly become a jobseeker;

2) you can use references as testimonials to argue for that bonus or promotion, not just a new job; and

3) what your references say and your ability to compile good references serve as an audit of your career to date. If you don’t have a ready list of references, it is a signal to more closely manage your career.

Here are 3 tips as you compile your reference list:

Confirm that your references want to give you a reference. Call them and ask what they would say. Coach them if you want them to talk about your analytical skills or your management potential. If they haven’t worked with you for awhile remind them exactly what you worked on.

Confirm the name, title and contact info of your references. Find out how they wish to be contacted and give them advance notice if you can about who will be calling and when.

Have references who are your peers as well as who report into you. Most people only list supervisors or people above them who have managed their work. Yes, you will need those references. However, the more experienced the candidate, the more likely that a reference check will encompass various reporting levels. Peers can tell an employer how a candidate was perceived by colleagues and how effective a team player the candidate was. Direct reports give insight into a candidate’s management style. References at different levels give an employer a more comprehensive view of the candidate. When I worked in retained search I insisted on all three types of references: supervisors, peers and direct reports.

Here are some of the faux pas to avoid:

Tell the interviewer all the ways your previous employer made you mad and how miserable you were in his employ.
Be sure to eat all the treats and candy the interviewer has sitting on his desk while you are speaking with him.
Blow your nose. Do it loudly and then put the tissues on the interviewer’s desk. Leave it there when you leave, of course.
Wear your favorite hat sporting the words “You can take this job and shove it.”
See that you have put your empty beer can in the trash can in the reception area before you meet with the prospective employer.
Rehearse your friend on coming into the interview room and demanding to know when you’ll be finished in there.
When your cell phone rings, answer it right away and if you think of something you forgot to say to that caller, just text it there on the spot.
Wear a pair of those popular jeans you can buy that already have holes in them. They are in fashion now, after all.
Keep a blank look on your face. Answer questions in a monotone. Do not look into the manager’s eyes when you speak and do not look at him when he is talking to you.
Act like you know everything and do not need to hear what is being said to you.
Say something really derogatory about your current or past employer.
Chew gum. They say it makes your brain work more efficiently.
Keep your responses vague. Don’t give out much relevant information.
Avoid answering the actual question that is asked and deliver some other stuff you want to cover in the interview.

These mistakes may seem the obvious ones you would never make. Some of them seem completely ridiculous. The fact is that some candidates are still making these errors.

Even though job seeking is frustrating, keep in mind that although competition will remain high for months to come you can stay positive. How? Focus on your strengths. Believe in yourself. Keep a professional attitude of mind. One great way to prepare is to anticipate the questions you will encounter and practice answering them. You know your industry and what is expected in that industry.

In order to grab great jobs with high salaries, you are advised to spend some time to go through the job advertisements carefully. There are FOUR key areas which you need to take note when you are going through the job advertisements:

Point No.1: The background of the potential employers

You must get the detailed information about the companies which are currently hiring. Knowing the background of the companies is important. Ask yourself honestly whether you have chosen the right industry. Check the corporate image and reputation of the companies.

Point No. 2: The positions offered

Are you applying for the right position? Do you really make good use of your academic qualification? You need to find out whether the positions offered require any specific performance or technical skill. If you don’t have such skill, you should not apply for the particular position. Honestly speaking, the percentage of being selected is zero.

Point No. 3: The job descriptions and the job responsibilities

What do you need to do at work? It is indeed important to go through the job descriptions and job responsibilities stated on the advertisements carefully. By knowing these, you are able to estimate the possible challenges that you will face at the work place in the future.

Point No. 4: The job requirements

What are the conditions set by the potential employers? Most of the companies require the candidates to have certain years of working experience. If you are fresh graduates, you are advised not to waste your time looking for jobs which require 5 years working experience. Besides experience, you are reminded to find out whether having own transport is necessary. Do you need to travel overseas? Find out all the requirements first before you submit your job application.

Why are there so many unemployed graduates and job seekers in the market right now? Sometimes, we should not blame the current economy situation. We have to ask ourselves honestly whether we really act smart in searching for jobs. We must spend more time reading the job advertisements carefully before we submit our curricular vitae. Don’t do things in a rush.

The basic principle of CV is to target it to the job.:
Be sure to cover the most important job skills, qualifications, and experience in your CV.
Be certain that most parts of your CV relates to the job you apply for.
Use the same skills, experience, and qualifications description as in the job ad.
Ensure that your previous experience is clearly and relevant to the job application.

You have the basic material available from your basic CV, and then you should just adapt that material to the wishes to you dream job.

Below are Outline of the basics in a CV:

Professional Summary

The prof. summary is the part where you describe your overall motivation. Here you should describe that the current job would fit into your career choice. This is should show the employer that this job is the next step on your career ladder.

Skills

Skills are mostly seen as keywords in a job add; they are essential criteria’s that you have to have to fill this position. It is not a question if you have them all, most people don’t or just barely, but you must include all the required skills as much as possible. Highlight the skills where your expertise really supersedes the demands highlighted and mention the rest.

Work Experience

Your former work experience needs particular care and you should try to reuse some of the skills or goals explained in the job ad. Explain you experience very concise and clear, write the roles and tasks you had. Be sure to use the same wordings as in the requirements for this job.

Use several examples, and where it is possible show how your skills where developed and refined through your previous work experience. Make it extremely clear that you have gained extra expertise through your previous experience.

Achieved goals

Goals that you have achieved on top of your work experience for each job description are extremely positive, it shows that you aim for the goals the employer puts up and that you are dedicated to the relevant tasks. Try to use examples that are related to the new job application if possible.

Educations / Qualifications

A lot of job ads describe a certain set of required qualifications. You should try to provide qualifications that meet these requirements. Sometimes you have similar qualifications, try to convince them that they are good enough. Either do it by email beforehand so that you are sure that your qualifications are good enough. This also gives you the opportunity to have a talk with the employer before you send your CV / Resume.

Your qualifications need to be direct and to the point, and if the employer describes them very detailed, you do the same. Make it look like you’re obviously qualified and the best choice for the job.

Try to have an idea on who will be doing the interview and what the HR department is looking for. Having details on what the company is all about is not enough. You will have to look for the person who will do the interview and what he is looking for in an applicant.

Look formal. Even though it is just an interview, looking formal or professional can put you up the scale. The more you look professional, the more people will take you seriously.

If you have the chance, grab someone from inside the company and talk to him. Get some inside information on how the company works from someone who is already working. You will surely have a thorough idea on what the HR department is looking for by the time you apply.

During the interview process, make sure that you maintain eye contact and get your nerves in check. Breathe in and out to calm yourself down and avoid stuttering. Take some time to think before you answer a question.

List down the possible questions that might be asked during the interview. Most of them will include the reason why you want to work for the company and how will the company be able to help you reach for your aspirations.

Practice having an interview with your friends. With the list of questions you have, practice answering them along with other applicants or your friends so that you will have no time to stutter during the actual interview.

Having landed the interview, here are several tips you can use for great success;

First, do some research into the company you are applying for. Knowing their history can be useful during the interview.

Practicing your interview with your friend can also help in those moments where you don’t know how to answer a question they may answer.

Be punctual and arrive about 30 mins or so before the interview. Punctuality can go a long way with employers and looks good on you.

Make sure you bring extra copies of your resume, references, and portfolio in case they are asked for.

Dressing the part shows that you are serious about landing the job. Successful applicants will be properly groomed. They should be dressed in professional attire. This includes having shoes, belts and accessories that match the look of the outfit.

When you meet the employer, greet them with a friendly smile and a firm, but not too firm, handshake. This is always a good way to get the interview started. While being interviewed, listen to each question carefully. Answer each question truthfully and show confidence as you are there to sell yourself to them.

Formatting is important thing but putting in great contents is way better. Without good content to read, hiring managers will just throw your resume away without a second thought. Make your skills and achievements detailed. Companies nowadays are more into outputs than vast experience. Having to say processed documents in the records section is very different from saying processed 1000 documents per two weeks in the records section. The second statement would very much catch the attention of the hiring managers and somehow saw how efficient you can be.

Another good thing in this resume tips is learning how to sell the benefits of a skill. All applicants state their skills, capabilities, talents and the cut they have above the rest. But one thing they do fail to include is how their capabilities, talents and skills they posses would help the company they are applying for. So what if you can type 75 wpm? How would that help the company? Typing 75 wpm is amazing but what would really have hiring managers call you for an interview is when you say you can achieve top production of processed documents in a short period and maximize time, cut on losses by having 100% accuracy with typing skill of 75wpm. Now, who can resist that?

And while you’re at it, do not fail to mention other important details about you that you want to advertise. Having identified the needs of an organization then pattern it in a way that will bridge the gaps that the company has, highlight also other qualities you have that you think might also be of interest to that company. Maybe you know how to deal effectively with other people, good researcher and problem solver. Hitting two birds with one stone is one of the most effective resume tips everybody should be able to learn to get ahead in this tough competition in getting that job.

The factor that you should consider when choosing your career is what you like doing. Personal preference is a very important factor that you must keep in mind. There is no point in going into a profession or field that you have no interest in. It will only make you hate your job and your performance will low. Always choose a profession or a field that you are interested in. For example, if you like physics, then it is advised that you major in that field because not only will you be good at it, you may become a very important personality in that field.

Another important decision you should make when choosing your career is where you live. By where you live, That mean which country you live in. Some countries offer good positions for certain professions and sometimes, there is no scope for a certain profession in a specific country. For example, if you live in Africa, it may not be wise to major in nuclear physics. Rather, majoring in medicine would be a good way to go.

Regardless of where you live, what you like doing and what your education is, this guide will help you in making the fundamental decisions about your future a whole lot simpler.

The first step to take as part of your career planning guide is to identify your strengths, abilities and what interests you. To do this appropriately, you need to write down all your interests in a sheet of paper. Spend time going over it and arrange them according to your preference. With each of your interest, write down the skills that you have for each interest. This would provide you an idea on where you stand best. You see, being interested is not enough; you should also have the skills and abilities so as to be successful in that particular career.

If you are quite unsure on where to start seeking the advice of a career counselor would help you come up with a better career planning strategy. These professionals are trained in this aspect and can help you discover where the right path you should start on. You need to understand that being talented in a particular area is not surefire guarantee that you are destined for it. It is also important that you have enough understanding on what are the essential career requirements for that particular choice of you. You might not be clearly aware of this but a career coach or counselor is armed with sufficient information about requirements of different careers.

Once you have clearly identified the career you want and should pursue, it would be worthy if you could take up an internship in that field prior to immediately plunging on it full time. In doing so, you will be given the opportunity to have sufficient exposure to the field and widen your network with people of the same career. This would give you a clearer and wider spectacle making you decide if this is something you really want to do or something that you could face doing. In the event that you feel you are not happy with it, you can simply beg off and quit instead of immediately rushing things and then find yourself trapped into it.

Career planning may be easy on some while it can really be cumbersome for other groups of individuals. However, failing on your first career choice does not mean the end of the world, you can always opt for a career change and learn from your mistakes until you get to the career that you love and know you would excel in.

There are two main reasons why it is important for you to only targeted open positions that you are qualified for. First, companies are looking for those who meet their job requirements. Second, you will find a lot more success when you do meet the job requirements. Basically, you are more likely to get more interviews scheduled and you stand a better opportunities of actually landing a job.

In terms of companies having set requirements, look at a job listing online and here is where you will see the important information. Depending on the job in question, you are likely to see an on-the-job requirement (such as three years) and an education requirement (such as a high school diploma or a college degree). As previously stated, companies post these requirements for a reason; they want to hire a job seeker who has the recommended level of job experience and education. If you are close, it is worth the risk to apply. However, if a bachelor’s degree is required and you only attended college for one semester, you are wasting your time applying for the job.

Speaking of wasted time, right now there are millions of Americans who are actively job searching online. Unfortunately, they aren’t that many open jobs out there. What this means is that there will always be some competition. In fact, many companies receive hundreds of resumes for one single position. They want to review each resume and it is only natural to get frustrated when an unqualified applicant wastes their time; so don’t.

Moreover, it is important to remember that a company is going to hire the most qualified candidate for the job. The first step is to make sure you do meet the requirements outlined in a job listing online. Then, the next step is to make yourself appear better than all the other applicants; you can do this on your resume and at the job interview. You will stand a better opportunity of success when you are familiar with the job and qualified for it. Your resume will land you a job interview and your knowledge and experience (which you will showcase at the job interview) will help you land the job.