How To Conduct A Successful Job Search Campaign

1.Define your objective: Know what kind of work you most enjoy and perform the best. This requires self-evaluation, spending time looking at your interests and abilities.

2.Write an effective resume: Focus on your qualifications for the type of work you want to do. Show where you are headed, not where you have been. Look at it from an employer's perspective -- what qualities do they need for the position?

3.Prepare your references: Call or visit each person and tell them exactly what you are looking for. Ask them to let you know if they hear of anything, or to make a referral for you.

4.Research: Make a list of potential employers from the Yellow Pages or a Resource Directory and research each company. Check your library for information.

5.Network: Talk to everyone you know about the kind of work you are looking for. You never know what contact will result in a job offer. Consider neighbours, relatives, parents of friends, teachers, paper route customers, etc.

6.Set up job interviews: Either by phone contact or by sending a cover letter with your resume and indicating that you will follow up to arrange an interview.

7.Practice interview techniques: Plan what you are going to say. Discuss WHY you want to work for that particular company, WHAT you can do for them, and HOW you will fit in with the company, then practice, practice, practice. Get a list of questions and write down your answers to each one, then practice with a friend.

8.Send a follow up letter: Tell them again about your interest in the job or the company. Thank them for taking the time to interview you. Point out your special qualifications or mention something you forgot in the interview that is relevant.

9.Follow up: In person or by phone to check out the results of the interviews, and if you are not the successful candidate, ask how you could improve your chances for next time.

Fran Watson is a Career Counsellor, Workshop Developer/Facilitator and member of Toastmasters who has recently begun an ezine.  You can find out more about her at www.franwatson.ca and sign up for her Free ezine

---

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

---

The Springtime of Your Career
Rick Jarow, author of Creating the Work You Love, introduced many of us to the notion of career seasons. When we're struggling with a career, we're most likely to think of winter.

---

Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur
When a client asks me if I think he or she is a good candidate for starting a new business, I ask several questions (see our free assessment, "Are You an Entrepreneur?"). But the truth of the matter is that these questions are similar to ones that I'd ask someone who wants to move up in an organization or find a new position elsewhere.

---

Are You Suited for Self-employment?
A recent poll conducted by Yahoo! Small Business showed that nearly 3 out of 4 Americans have considered starting their own business. In fact, of more than 2,200 adults surveyed, over half (51 percent) said they would like to launch their small business within the next 5 years.

---

Youre Fired!
One-day you're minding your own business and your boss comes in and says "You're Fired", perhaps he was a bit more polite than that but the end result was the same, you're now out of work!!Now what do you do?Well get over the initial shock and look at the whole experience as a positive, this maybe the break you have been waiting for, no more excuses for not doing what you've always wanted to do, that is too work for yourself and if that's not what you always wanted to do, it is now, because you may not have any other choice.Okay, just got the sack and now suddenly thrust into the world of the entrepreneur! What next? First thing is to think about what you have been doing that actually had someone paying you previously to do it.

---

Necessary Psychological Skills When Working in the Executive Protection Field
The "hard" skills necessary for an executive protection specialist (EPS) and/or personal protection specialist (PPS) are often perceived as being that of a policeman or (elite) soldier. Though there can be certain similarities i.

---

So You want to be a Bodyguard?
Then let me start by helping out. The politically correct phrase these days is not "bodyguard" but personal protection specialist, executive protection specialist or close protection operative, depending on your place of training and other preferences.

---

Lost Your Job? Ten Ways to Bounce Back!
Whether you've been right-sized, downsized, underutilized, or just plain fired, looking for work is a life-changing experience that rocks your world. Regain your equilibrium with these ten strategies and get back to being your best.

---

Job Interviews: Succeeding with Panel Interviews
These days, job interviews often consist of a panel of three-to-six interviewers.A "team approach" to finding the best candidate can be beneficial for the employer.

---

10 Tips to Help You Ace the Interview and Get the Job
The interview is the "beauty contest" part of the job search process. Interviewers get to compare candidates by asking them similar questions and comparing the answers.

---

Is Your Resume Doing ITS Job?
Is it opening doors to new opportunities? Does it compel the reader to think, "Hey! This applicant can ?put that one on top of the 'call in for an interview' pile!" Does it showcase what you have accomplished for past employers as well as what you can accomplish for the potential employer?Your resume is your personal marketing tool that must immediately convey to the reader that you CAN and WILL be a positive driving force to further their organization's mission. They have a need to QUICKLY get thru all the resumes received in response to their job posting so you've got to QUICKLY grab their attention.

---

Diplomats and Spies
"The Baratarian pirates also offered their services. Even though an American naval force had destroyed their base on Grand Terre Island in September, the Baratarians rejected British overtures to side with them.

---

Online Resume Formats
There are several types of online resume formats that can be used when contacting potential employers. When you search for job openings online, some companies will have on their websites which online resume format is acceptable.

---

Why Do Interviews Die: That Sinking Feeling and How to Prevent it!
Interviews die because a mistake occurred. Sometimes, you've made a mistake; sometimes they die because someone who screened a resume did.

---

How to Give Job-Winning Answers at Interviews
Human Resources personnel, professional recruiters and various other career experts all agree: one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a job interview is to anticipate questions, develop your answers, and practice, practice, practice.There are plenty of websites that offer lists of popular job interview questions, and knowing the types of questions to expect can be very useful.

---

8 "Thurvival Skills" for 05
Just what is a "thurvival skill?" It's a skill that let's you thrive and survive at the same time. In today's economy it's not enough to just be good.

---

Freelance Work: The Changing Face of Employment
The world sure is changing, and if you look at job employment you will see what I mean. Let's just go back to our grandparent's generation, even though I'm sure if we went back further we would see very different structures of work in the tribal periods of our history.

---

Do You Work to Live or Live to Work?
Let's be realistic here - hands up all of you who bounce out of bed every single morning, raring to get to work and enjoying yourself every minute of the day?If you didn't put your hand up (even metaphorically), you're not alone. There have been so many articles published recently about working statistics in the UK - that Brits work the longest hours in the EU, that we have higher risks of heart disease than our continental friends due to stress and poor diet, there has been a rise in people "downshifting" and moving to the country to raise chickens and weave baskets.

---

Illegal Interview Questions -- Be Prepared
I'll quickly cover the following:A) Why Employer Ask Illegal Interview Questions.B) Examples of Illegal Interview Questions.

---

Hiring Managers: Preventing "Fall-Off's" and Counter Offers
"Bill, thanks so much for your assistance with this search. We're very happy that Robert has accepted the position.

---

Where Did All The Farmers Go?
Several times a year, I hear someone complain about the development of farm land in our area. These complainers consider it a crime that so much of our farm land has been converted to housing, business, shopping, etc.

---