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Tips for Online Job Search

bikram — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:03:59 +0000

Online job search has become quite a common phenomenon among aspirant job seekers. But being ignorant about proper method of job search or searching in inappropriate sites make one land into wrong job. But Internet as a medium offers a huge pool of job resources. You just need to know how to use it and bag a good job. Here are some guidelines for your help.

A proactive effort

Instead of just posting your resume in a job portal and sitting back in a relaxed mind why don’t you become little proactive and design a website or online portfolio blog of yours, where recruiters can come and take a look of your work, get an idea of your skills, goals and personal contact information.

Narrow your options of search

Make sure you upload resume and look for a job only in a website which has good narrowing options by criteria like – by region, by industry and experience, by job titles. You may super narrow your search by criteria like – salary expected, job designation, company names etc. Filtering and refining job search will help you to find better job offers.

Visit company websites directly

Instead of just applying to a given job opening and sending resume, get little proactive. Shortlist some best companies where you would love to work. Now visit that company’s website, target that company and check their career/job opening page. Check out the current vacancies. In case the company is hiring send your resume to the given address. Else, you may write to the human resource manager. Company pages may ask you to fill up a form, detailing your profile for their future reference. If the company is not hiring at present, keep coming back to it again and again to keep a watch.

Industry related websites

You may refine your job search by registering and following the desired industry related websites. You may find national or regional jobs posted in industry related websites, which you may not come to know otherwise. Individuals may post such jobs, hoping for getting response from a bigger pool of qualified applicants.

Job portals can be helpful

Online job portals can solve your problem by doing an extensive search. Recruiters will help you by matching your skills and experience with related jobs and bringing the same to you. You may refer to job portals like recruiterlink.com, onlinerecruitersdirectory.com, searchfirm.com and i-recruit.com.

Subscribe to job alerts

Most of the job portals have this feature of subscribing to their job alerts. You need to sign up in the site to receive email alerts about latest job openings. Or you may subscribe to RSS feeds. This way, even if you forget to visit the job portal regularly and look for relevant jobs, you will be reminded by frequent job alerts.

What are you waiting for? Get started, today!

3 Very Effective but Rarely Used Job-Search Strategy

bikram — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:59:00 +0000

What most people do when they search for a job? They scan the job portals, and scour through newspaper ads. These are obvious places to look for, and almost everyone uses these job-search strategies. In this article, I am going to show you 3 non-so-obvious places that will help you find a job before anyone else does so.

Business networking sites

If you are looking for a job, and could not find a good one through the usual channels then business networking websites like LinkedIn and Ryze are the ones you should scan first. People often advertise jobs here, but to be successful in here, you will have to first make your presence felt by preparing a strong profile that should have some sound recommendation.

Job boards and forums

Believe it or not, forums also help people in getting hired. There are many job boards and forums where people ask and respond to various questions. You should also participate in such forums because it is the quality of your answers will increase your reputation, which will eventually land you in a decent job, as people are always on the look for a knowledgeable worker.

Blogging

Yes blogging can get you a full-time job as well. A blog does not only help you find a freelance gig, but it also helps you showcase the understanding of your field to the world. And it should not come to you as a surprise that employers love to have employees that are knowledgeable and astute. Your blog demonstrate both to the outside world.

Of the above three sources that we discussed above, blogging is the one which people do not take seriously as a job-search tool. Most of them are quite skeptic about the effectiveness of this tool, which makes it a very rarely used job-search tool. That is why I will suggest using this first.

Is It Your Habit That’s Keeping You Unemployed?

bikram — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:36:00 +0000

We often give ourselves to thinking that interviewer biased, and that too against us, always. We blame this for our inability to secure a job even in the soaring economy. If you are still looking for a job, and not getting it then it is time to change the looking glass through which you see the world, for the reason behind not getting hired could be you.

In the following paragraphs, I am going to talk about 3 indicators that tell you that it is you who is stopping you from getting hired, and when I said you, I meant your habit.

3 reasons you are not getting hired

Too high an expectation

Nothing is perfect in this world; neither you nor any job. If you are waiting for a perfect job to fly from the land of fairy and set down in your lap then I am afraid to say the wait is going to be rather long. Meanwhile, I would recommend bagging a not-so-perfect job that matches your skill set, and which can provide sufficient money for you to survive on.

Be realistic. Weigh every aspect of the dream job you want, and see what all you can let go. You will soon be employed.

Too small a net

Are you relying on just one technique to search for the job? Do you feel uncomfortable trying out different job-search tools and techniques?

To catch a lot many fish, a fisherman needs to have a net that is wide enough and strong enough. Similarly, a job hunter needs to widen his net using all the possible tools and techniques to land up in a good job, which sadly enough, very few people are doing, for they are slave of their habit of using one tool.

Too Egocentric (I, me, and myself) cover letter

This is stupendous mistake committed by a job hunter. No one wants someone who has an ego as big as the size of the Milky Way. I know your ego is comparatively smaller in magnitude, but why does not it reflect in the cover letter you send out? Why your cover letter is talking too much about “I”?

Writing I, I, and I will not land you up in a job, forget about a good job, as no one cares how smart, talented, Einstein-esque you are. Your interviewer cares only about his needs, and about an employee who can meet that need. I know what big a dork he is, but at the end of the day, he is the one who will sign your paying slip, month after month.

Wouldn’t it be smart then to satisfy his needs by talking about his company and how you will add solve the problem he has in a cover letter? From where I am standing, it would be smarter, far smarter to this than to talk about I, me, and myself.

If you, unknowingly, committed any of these mistakes then it is time to undo them, should you want to get hired. After all, we call it habit because we do it unknowingly, as a habit.

How to Write an Effective Cover Letter?

bikram — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:16:22 +0000

A cover letter accompanies resume to be mailed to the employer. It shouldn’t duplicate the resume, but complement it. It should be factual, informative, data oriented yet personal. Cover letter is your first opportunity to impress the recruiter, thus, writing an effective cover letter is of great importance. Writing a cover letter for the purpose of job often seems like a tedious task. But if certain steps and tips are followed it’s quite an easy. There are mainly 3 types of cover letters – the application letter (in response to a known job vacancy), prospecting letter (enquiring about prospective vacancy) and networking letter (requesting information and assistance in job search).

An ideal cover letter has 4 parts –

Salutation

Letter should address the person you wish to communicate with. This person may hire you. Spell the full name correctly.

Opening

Opening paragraph of the letter is very important, as it’s the first step to appeal to the reader. If you are applying in response to an advertisement, mention that.

Body

This is the most descriptive part of the letter. It should reflect your educational qualification as per your resume, your job experience. You have to sell yourself in most attractive package in this part.

Closing

End has to be interesting, humble and effective. At the end, request for an interview/appointment. Leave a thank note. Use standard complimentary notes like – ‘Sincerely yours’ or ‘Your faithfully’. Leave some space for your signature and below that type your full name.

How to craft the letter?

Customize the cover letter, as per the employer. Do research concerning the employer before writing the letter. Specifically relate your skills and aptitude with the job you are applying for.
Mention the source, from where you came to know about the given position. Don’t forget to mention title of the position you are applying for.
Mention reasons of your interest in the organization. To write in detail, do your homework about the company, its success stories, recent projects, and upcoming projects.
Only display relevant skills and experience. Don’t include unrelated ones.
Emphasize on your matching educational qualification, abilities, strengths, and achievements.

Remember certain important points while writing

Be brief and hit on the point
Don’t make mistake
Use word processor and spell check
Avoid clumsy fonts and colors

Don’t let the chances of casting a good impression go waste with a poor cover letter. Follow the guidelines and craft a brief effective cover letter. Attach it with your CV and send across. Cross your fingers and wait for the interview call. Good luck!

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 9)

bikram — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:47:00 +0000

Social media is all about catching attention followed by engaging in conversation, which in turn will help you build trust that will result in a job for you. This is how we operate in the social scene. It may look a lot of work, and in the beginning it is a lot of work, but once you get hang of it, social media participation becomes a second nature — and it cease to appear as work.

Since last couple of posts in the series on building rapport with prospective employers, I have been talking about twitter etiquette, which I will continue in this post as well. A sound knowledge of particulars of etiquettes related to twitter is necessary to make it big in here.

Check your language for appropriateness

Seeing the informal nature of twitter, it is easy for us to give in to the temptation of using informal language (read slang), wrong spelling, and misplaced grammar when tweeting. You should avoid doing this. It can spell doom for your twitter job-search dream.

Advice when asked

Many a time, people sends out a tweet to anyone and everyone asking for advice on certain topic. Seize this opportunity and make big of it. Participate in the conversation and hang in there until the discussion is devoid of all its juices.

Use shortening services

Use URL shortening service when posting a link in your tweets. Shortening services like Bit.ly, Tiny URL, etc., will not only help you keep your URL short, but it will also help you track the clicks. You should also use these services to post pictures and videos on twitter. It will also help you keep your tweets clutter free.

With these tips, our discussion on twitter job-search etiquette comes to an end. You will get desired result, if you apply the tips I have shared so far. Each one of them is very valuable.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 8)

bikram — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:33:00 +0000

Since the last post, we are talking about etiquette on twitter and how it can affect the chances of your getting a decent job. Taking the discussion from where we left in the last post, I will be sharing some more twitter tips that will help you find a job using twitter. (Click here to read the previous post).

Avoid being too casual

Although twitter started its life as an informal way to say what you are doing, it has become a means of professional communication as well. Like e- mails, tweets are also being taken seriously by the corporate. Hence, you should not be too casual. Talking informally may be okay, but not talking casually. You need to show you are committed to the work assigned to you, and you take every bit of communication seriously.

Avoid being too personal

No one cares what you had for lunch, nor do they care how good or bad is your sex life. Twitter is a personal medium of communication, but it is not that personal to be witness of your bathroom adventures. Keep such sojourns out of your tweets, unless it has something that has never happened to anyone in this world — at least, not in your knowledge.

Profanity must be avoided

No matter how pissed you are with the situation, no one expect you to break down, nor you are expected to talk like a complete jerk. Maintain poise, avoid talking profane, and do not do any act that goes against your professionalism.

Being profane is easy, and that is the reason why so many people are doing so. What is difficult is to control one’s emotion, and one need a steely determination to keep mum when one feels like blasting on the social web.

These etiquettes are not necessary, if you do not care what others think of you, but if your everything depends upon what others are thinking then you must watch your action.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 7)

bikram — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:35:31 +0000

So far in the series on twitter job search, we have covered branding and networking, now it is time to talk about etiquette. Etiquette plays a major role when it comes to getting a job, through twitter or otherwise. It would be in your best interest to mind your manners, as no one likes a person who cannot behave nicely in the perceived shadow of anonymity that twitter or any other website provides.

Use direct message or DM, as it is known on twitter

Do not start sending confidential or sensitive information on the twitter’s public timeline using @ symbol. This is akin to taking someone’s bedroom talk to nearest pub. No one is going to like it, and you by doing so are risking your reputation. Instead, send sensitive or personal information in a direct message. Send your résumé link, interview request, etc., in DM only.

Hit Reply

Many a time job seekers do not pay much attention to DMs sent to them, or to the messages sent to them using @ symbol. Always, always, always respond to all direct and indirect messages sent to you. This will paint a picture of a guy who is helpful, friendly, and prompt. These are the traits of an employee that anyone will like to hire.

Count your words before you write

Twitter allows you only 140 characters that also include spaces and special characters, so be wise in the word selection. 140 characters are all you have, and it is on you to decide how you will make each character add to the value your tweet will deliver. Do not use unnecessary superlatives, adjectives, and adverts. I will rather suggest you to stay away from every word that has nothing to add to the discussion.

Go and check your tweets, and DMs to see if your tweets and DMs meet the standard set above or not. Fix them, if they don’t, and continue using twitter the way you do, if you do not find any problem.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 6)

bikram — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:01:22 +0000

This is the last post on networking aspect of twitter job search. Here I will tell you how you can get more out of your networking effort, and how you will be in the good books of highly networked individuals on twitter, so without wasting another moment let’s get started.

Engage yourself

Increase the frequency of your tweets to remain in the eyes of fellow tweeters — out of sight, out of mind phenomenon works more here. Tweet often and tweet regularly, but do not ever cross the thin red line crossing which raises the red flag.

Spread your net

Keep on finding people to tweet to. Do not just tweet to people in your follower’s, find people to add to your list, but, do not start mass following. By doing so, you will be call in spammers who do not listen on twitters. All they know is clutter the twitter time line.

Join the conversation

Tweeting your content is good, but joining the conversation is even better. Read what others are saying, join the conversation, comment on the discussion, be part of it, spread the word, send DM (direct message), and get known. This will help you form a lasting relationship with fellow tweeters. People like you most when you talk about the stuffs they care — in this case, the stuffs they share.

Spread the news

Talking about yourself on and on may make you sound braggart, and talking about what others have to say make you sound influential. See what others are talking about and be the first to tweet about it. This will bring you on the forefront of your industry, and the leaders cannot help but look at you, and recognize you.

Get personal with @

Use @ followed by twitter’s account name to share stuffs with people you want to network with on twitter. This will get their attention. Send out only meaningful tweets using @, and do it sparingly. Overdoing will raise the barrier.

As you can see, finding a job on twitter is not like finding a job on job-search portals. It is about engagement here. You have to engage people first and then ask for a job. This may look like too much work, but it is not. And on top of it, it is highly rewarding. By engaging your prospects in talk, you have crossed half the distance, as talking to them let them know about you. If they like what they see, they will hire you.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 5)

bikram — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:53:12 +0000

So far in the series, I have talked about the branding aspect of twitter job search, which is the base on which your job search efforts will rest. In this and subsequent blog posts, I will talk about the networking aspect, which will bring people to your profile. This subsequently will mean job for you.

Use twitter search to find the right people

This is as important as conducing a Google search. Twitter search will not only help you find people to network with, but it will also help you search for jobs. Just type in the keyword or hash tag to find the right person to network with. Do not add just anyone because you can. You will not want to get 1000s of useless tweets every single day.

Do not follow everyone back

This is a classic mistake. Most of the newbie do exactly that and end up becoming frustrated of twitter because of the low quality tweets in the timeline. You should follow people back, but only those whose tweets you want to receive. Do not follow everyone. You start doing that and you will start getting more invites. Spammers love this, so do not be the love interest of a spammer.

Follow your friends’ connections

Check out whom your friends are sending DM (direct message) to. These people could be the potential target of your networking effort. Keep a close watch on whom your friends are talking to, and follow those whom you deem suitable.

Promote Yourself

Promoting yourself is an important part of networking. Tell people who you are, and what you stand for. They will not know this if you do not tell them. Tweet links to your work, and add call to action in the tweet. This way you will be seeding your expertise in the community, which definitely will fetch desired result.

Networking takes time and effort, but the return is always good, so do not hesitate in putting time into it. I want you to start working on above suggestions now. You will see the difference.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 4)

bikram — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:19:27 +0000

So far in the series, we have talked about branding your profile on twitter through customizing your background, setting your URL, and writing your Bio, etc. In the fourth part of twitter tips series, I am going to talk the content part of branding. I will tell you how you can keep yourself in the good book of your prospective employers by being responsible in twitter usage.

First tweet then follow

What most people do after joining twitter is they start following as many people as they can and as soon as they can. This is a very bad strategy to increase your twitter follower count. A good one is to start with posting informative and entertaining tweets followed by following people in the fields of your interest. This way you will get more active followers who will give you more opportunity.

No spamming please

Do not start tweeting in bulk as people with “spammer” tag does. Act with moderation and tweet only what is really, really important. If you want people to hire you for a job then do not post stuffs that will take away from your image.

Talking of quality content, I will recommend you to record a video of you talking about what you do, what is your qualification, and how much work experience you have, etc., and tweet this video cover letter once or twice a day.

Do not act desperate

This will not do any good. Tweeting too much may force people to ignore you, if not unfollow you. There is no need to post your résumé five times a day. Tweet your résumé or video cover letter maximum twice a day. That is enough.

You should not deviate from this tweeting practice for even a single day. Have patience, result will come.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 3)

bikram — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:57:54 +0000

Twitter is the best thing that has happened on the Internet in the recent years. In just 140 characters it has changed the way we communicate. Its 140 characters have also forced the giant Google to remap its strategy, and redraw its SERP (search engine result pages) — Google said it will include social media status updates as well, and to take share of this [micro blogging wonder] end it also launched Buzz.

This is what twitter has done to the giant, and it will also help you a great deal in searching for a job. In this part, I will tell you how you can brand yourself on twitter, and how it will help you.

Customize your profile

The best thing about twitter is it allows you to create a custom profile for your twitter account. You can choose whatever background you want for your twitter profile. Twitter background provides you a wonderful opportunity to brand yourself. Your profile page should speak volume about you.

Theme-based design

Do not choose just any background. This will not do any good. Always remember a good design begins with ideation. With finding a theme for the design. When I say theme I meant what is that one thing that you want to convey to the viewers of your twitter profile. Begin with writing down the points you want to convey until it boils down to one or two core points that you must convey. This will be the essence of your twitter profile.

Now think of a design theme of the blog based on the core you have found.

Designing background

Start designing a background based on the theme you have found. To find the dimension of the background, you can search Google. I do not suggest reinventing the wheel. Just conduct a Google search and you will find a twitter background template.

This is it for now. Go ahead and customize your twitter profile to impress your prospects.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 2)

bikram — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:57:53 +0000

Yesterday we started a series with some obvious twitter profile optimization tips that will help you find a job. In this post, I will continue the discussion and will share some more twitter power tips for job search on twitter (click the link to read part 1). These are must-apply tips for all kinds of twitter profiles, so you can use these even if you are not in the job-search market.

Write a powerful bullet bio

In twitter profile, you do not get a lot of space to talk about yourself; nevertheless opportunity is there to capitalize on the little space you get. You should write a powerful, sharp-edged bio. Every word should be telling. The space is limited, so use only what will make the employer click on the accompanying link. Write a powerful bullet bio.

Add a web address

Do not add URL of the website where you talked about your cool kitten. No employer will like to know about her. What you can do is add the URL of your cool kitten website in your website under fun and hobby section, if you desperately want to show that to your employer. But, reserve the web address space on twitter for your professional website — the one that will inform your client about your professional skills and expertise.

Add location

Using this is slightly tricky. You can only add name of your city, if you are living in a big metro, but generally use name of your county along with the city name. This will tell your employer about your whereabouts. It will help them make their minds.

We will talk about twitter profile customization in one more post then we will move further. These are practical tips, and will only benefit you if you work upon them. Reading only will do no good to you.

Once you are done customizing your twitter profile, send me your twitter URL, so that we all can see your work. Meanwhile, you can use the comment box below to leave your suggestion and feedback on this post.

Best-Kept Secret Twitter Tips for Job Search (Part 1)

bikram — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:54:27 +0000

The best kept secrets are not those which are hidden behind 1000 locks. The best kept secrets are those that are always in front on us — too obvious to be noticed.

If you have not believed this so far then start believing in it, as nothing is truer then the above statement is. And it will become more evident when you will read the best-kept secret twitter tips for job search in this series.

Twitter, as we all know by now, is a 140-word marketing nuclear bomb. It is also referred as virtual water cooler where people talk about things that matters to them. Twitter is not just a micro-blogging tool, but it is a search engine in its own right that has the strength to overpower Google. Twitter can be used in many ways, but we will focus on using it as a job search tool. All the tips in this and subsequent posts are geared towards that only.

For a novice, twitter may look useless, but so did search engines in their initial days.

Easy-to-remember username

Username is your twitter name, and this is the first thing that a person finds about anyone on twitter. This is akin to the first part of your e-mail ID — everything before @, and you will not want your username to spoil the party. Hence, do not use your nickname or any other silly things in there. While saying that I did not mean to say that your nickname is silly, all I meant was that your username should look classy. Cheesy stuffs do not cut it. Your twitter name should also be easy to remember.

Real name for real people

Use your real first and last names in the designated space. Do not use any cool-but-idiotic-sounding words in place of the first and the last name. It will hurt your image, and create hindrance in getting a job. A person without real name does not sound like a person, at least not on the Internet.

Real picture

I know how badly you wanted to look like Brad Pitt, but the fact is you are not him then why to use his picture as your profile picture? Believe me it will not impress your employer, and most of all they will come to know it is not Brad Pitt who is applying for the job. Take my suggestion and pull that picture down, and instead use your own picture, preferably in business attire.

In the twitter profile, nothing but close-up of your own picture should be there.

Start fixing your profile now and when you are done send me your twitter URL. That’s all for today, will meet tomorrow with some more tips.

A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XVIII

bikram — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:40:22 +0000

As said in the last post, this is the last post in the series, and with this I will conclude my discussion on job-search tips for over-45 job seekers. In this part, I will talk about what to you need to promote during your interview.

Attract attention, and focus on the bright side

There may be quite a few things in the résumé that were not so much impressive, so try to bury it deeper during your interview by focusing your interviewer’s attention on your strength. Do not just dodge the questions asked about your weak points. Tackle the question wisely and enroute take a turn and move towards your strength. Do it covertly.

Promote your work ethics

Tell your interviewer that because of your age, you do not feel like hopping from one job to another, and will settle if you get a satisfactory job like the one you are giving interview for. Well say this but not in so many words. It should look as if it is coming naturally from you. Do not fake it. Loyalty is a big asset and that too a rare one.

Tell your interviewer your monetary worth

You have accumulated a lot of knowledge and expertise (perhaps interdepartmental ones as well) in your long career before being unemployed. Tell the worth of those skills in dollar terms. The interviewer needs to know your real worth.

With this our discussion on this topic comes to an end. And as a parting though, I must say that this phase (unemployment) is temporary, and there is always a job for a person who deserves it, and works to get it.

You may want to bookmark this post, as I have provided links to all the posts that I have written in this series below this paragraph. I would like to know what you think about this series, so use the comment box and start sending your input.

Index

A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XVII

bikram — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:12:02 +0000

This is 17th post of the series written to help people over 45 secure jobs for them. We have come a long way. I hope by now you have gained enough confidence and rearing up to go. Some of you might have gone ahead and secured a job. This series is approaching its end now. It would be no more than 2 posts in this series. So, before it gets over, let us get together and pour everything on paper for you to see and use it.

Plan, Plan, and Plan

Planning is important. It takes the surprise factor and blind spot out of the equation. Review the list of common questions asked in an interview, and prepare an answer for each one of them. Do not mug up. Just make yourself comfortable with the questions. During the planning process also find a way out to blunt the ruthless edge of your negative characteristics. Do not make it look like your biggest asset, but soften its edge and make it look less damaging.

Look uber-cool

Well, I do not intend to suggest that you should take in all those garbage being consumed by teenagers in the name of fashion and “walking ahead of time”. All I want to suggest is to look up-to-date and in the know of things that matter to the job you are being interviewed for.

When I say up-to-date I also mean up-to-date in your appearance. I know it was not the first thing you expected to read when you wake up in the morning, but it important. You will not like to look like a black sheep among all the white clones. Dress as the way people younger to your dress, at least for the interview. It will convey the person on the other side of the table that you may be chronologically from different group, but your psychosocial make is same as his own.

Tell them you will learn

Do not flinch if you are faced with a question that you do not know answer of, or if you have asked about a technology which you have never heard of. Tell your interviewer that you are unaware of thing in question, but you will learn it sooner than expected, and if you are promised the job, you can start learning right from today. This will tell your interviewer, how much keen you are for the job, and how much time you are willing to devote for that. The interviewer will not pass unimpressed.

What else do you think is necessary to excel in an interview? Use the comment box and send in your suggestions.

A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XVI

bikram — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:04:37 +0000

From the last post of the series, we are talking about interviews and how it will affect a 45-year old person in getting a job. In the previous post, we discussed how you need to carry yourself in the interview. In this article, I will talk about breaking stereotypes, using your age as an advantage, and how to handle questions that are not legal. So, let us begin our journey.

Play your age and tell them it is an asset

You didn’t grow old sleeping. You acquired certain skills and a hell load of experience, which a young person can only imagine to have, but can never have until he or she reaches your age. Play this card well, and tell you interviewer that your age has given you the wisdom and maturity that comes only with age. Convince your interviewer that it will be an asset not a liability for the company.

Smack the stereotype on its head

Your young interviewer has many preconceived idea attached with your age, which you need to dispel. This is necessary, but do not do it violently. Be calm, composed, and in the best of your selves when breaking the stereotypes.

Handle illegal questions well

So what you have grown old now? So what you are 40 plus? It does not mean anyone can discriminate against you based on your age. It is a crime, and if you are given hint of this then either politely move to other question or ask the interviewer to not go in that direction. You can also consider legal action, if it does not stop on that.

You need to be careful when working on the above suggestions. A wrong step may land you in trouble. It is a fine line to walk.

A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XV

bikram — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:56:24 +0000

Personal meeting and job interviews are not the places where you can hide your age. It is simply not possible. So, why to try! And as it is so far in the series we have seen why you should play your age, and not try to hide it. But, one thing that may concern you during the interview is the age, not yours, but of the people around you, of the person taking your interview, and of the people with whom you have to work. Let’s see how you should deal with it.

Age should not matter

Neither yours nor your interview’s age should matter to you when you are on the interview table. The chances are quite realistic that your interviewer will be much younger than you. Do not get unnerved by that. Be calm and give him the respect you gave to your older interviewer when you were young. Treat anyone on the interviewer’s chair with respect.

Convey your desire to work with younger crowd

One of the main concerns of an employer hiring an older person is the new employee’s ability to mix with the young crowd. Make it clear to the interviewer that you do not have any problem in working with young people. Working with young people, particularly getting managed by them doesn’t go well with everyone. Many do not like to get managed by someone who is less experienced then him. You should make this clear to your employer that you do not belong from that group.

During your interview, you need to convey to your employer that you have the desire to keep up with younger crowd, and you are willing to learn new technologies and new way of doing things so that you could succeed. Do not forget to ask about the prospect of success in the organization you are being interviewed for.

A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XIV

bikram — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:05:25 +0000

This post contains the last set of tips on changes you need to bring in your résumé to get the job you want. Like the tips shared in the previous posts, these are bite-sized and actionable. Do not just read and forget. Work on it. And that too as soon as you can.

Keep it short and simple

I will not add stupid to above because I know you are not that. You are quite smart, and in your 45 years you have also understood the power of simplicity. And believe me when I say that simplicity works in résumé as well. No one likes to read a CV-epic, so keep it short and simple. Mention only those things that really, really matters for the job you are applying for. Keeping it short will help you keep it focused. Focus is another important thing.

Use chronological not function résumé

A new trend of using functional résumé —the type in which skills are mentioned in a cluster— has caught the fancy of young job seekers. Yes with young job seekers, particularly those who are looking for a career change, so let it remain confined to young people only. You do not need to follow the trend because in mid-aged job seekers the use of functional in place of chronological résumé is seen as an attempt to hide age. Well, I understand you do not intend to do that, and I am equally certain that you will not get even a 10 seconds of personal time with employers to explain this to them, so why take chances? Go with a résumé that lists your experience in chronologically. If you are too much in love with functional résumé then use it in combination of chronological one.

Write emphatic cover letter

Although cover letter has come at the end of pour discussion on résumé, it does not take away the importance assigned to a cover letter by your employer. A cover letter is your elevator pitch, and the emphatic it is the greater is the chances of your being called for a personal interview. A great cover letter makes your résumé stand out from the crowd of hundreds of faceless curricula vitae.

With this our discussion on résumé comes to an end. I hope you will apply these principles in your own CV. From the next post in the series we shall discuss about interviews and about ways to handle tough questions. Till then keep applying the principles taught so far.

A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XIII

bikram — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:35:04 +0000

In the last couple of posts, we talked about résumé and the role it plays in building your case for your employment. We will continue this discussion in two more posts. In this part, we will see what all you can do to fine-tune your résumé.

Wear your Employer’s Shoes

Well, not literally. What I meant was you need to have a fresh look at your résumé to see how a person on the other side of the table will look at it. Put yourself in your employer’s shoes and see if you would have called a person carrying this résumé for the interview? There is no point for being right, so do not lie to yourself. This exercise is done solely to find problem in your CV.

See what is the flavor of the market

Tight fitting, camel toe revealing outfit might be a huge fashion in yesteryears, but today if you wear it you will look funny—I am not a fashion person so I might be wrong here. But, I know I am not wrong when I say you need to use the format that looks modern. See what format is used these days, and follow that trend. You may be 45, but your résumé should not look that old. Dress it up like youth does!

What’s the new lingo

In your youth, hyperlink and HTML would have meant nothing, but today it does. There are many similar changes in terminology of almost every field. Find out what words got omitted and what got added to your field in last couple of years, or from the time you last checked. Embrace the change, at least in your résumé. It will tell your employer how much you are unlike your age, I meant up-to-date with current trend.

We all new to adapt and evolve with time, this is the only way we can sustain ourselves. Keep on working, and keep on evolving.

A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XII

bikram — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:56:58 +0000

Your Curriculum vitae is your strategic weapon that you can use to deal a deadly blow to your competitors while securing your position with a prospective employer. Hence, it better be good. You should always focus on sharpening your weapon (keep your résumé up-to-date) which may require you to take some classes. Let’s move forward and see what needs to be done to nab the job that was not “claimed” to be suitable for a 40 plus individual.

Show you can evolve

No one likes anything static, not even you and so does your employer. The main reason why he wants young people in his team lies in the fact that young people have up-to-date knowledge and they are ready to evolve. Show the same degree of commitment by taking extra classes to train yourself. Enroll to some vocational courses or training classes that will put you at par with youth in their 20s, in terms of technology and knowledge. Mention this on your CV, your prospective employer will take notice of it, and you will get duly rewarded for your hard work with a job and better salary.

Talk about experience

If you have not spent 40 years of life daydreaming or sleepwalking then you definitely have accumulated some kind of skill set that will make the job you are applying a piece of cake for you, well at least easy. In your résumé talk about your experience from the related fields, this along with your commitment to evolve with time (read above) will give you an edge which will be hard for your younger competitors to surpass.

Keep it Up-to-date

Do you know what the first company you worked with call itself these day? Or do you know who has taken the ownership? Are these details in your résumé? Contact the companies that you are mentioning in your CV under experience or past employer columns and ask about their names, locations, phone numbers, and people in charge. Finding it may or may not be difficult. It depends upon the kind of companies you worked in. If those were big corporate giants then you may be knowing their details already, but if they were small setups then you need to visit their office or call your old colleagues for the detail.

Always remember, nothing is impossible not even at this age. Well, I meant almost nothing. You cannot put toothpaste back inside the tube from which it has been squeezed. Try it, you cannot. But getting a job is far much easier than that. Talk to you in the next post, till then keep looking and stay calm!