Today we are living in an uncertain time where anything can happen and it may happen very quickly. Perhaps you are lucky to have jobs when other lost theirs but in this changing time, everybody needs a plan for finding job and stay employed. Who would have thought just in the past few months, several million people in the world have lost their jobs? Who would think that even large companies such as Toyota, AIG, IBM, and Microsoft would have to lay off people? Today with globalization, anything can happen so it is important that you must be careful in planning your careers. Students must consider seriously about their knowledge and skills as they are making education choices, university selections, training decisions, and job decisions, etc.
More than ever, it is important to have “marketable skills and knowledge” because those are factors that can protect you in this changing time. Having special skills is thing that makes you unique relative to others. If you let your skills become obsolete or not relate to what the market need then you are vulnerable. You should not wait until you have been given laid-off notice to start looking for a job. You must constantly know who are hiring in the industry and what skills are they looking for. Knowing what skills are hot can help you to learn about career changing opportunities when you are not in desperate need to find a job. This can help you to make a well-planned career move rather than just apply to get any job because you are being laid off.
Of course, you may not need to look for a job now but you must be prepared just in case. You must always have an effective resume and keep it up-to-date as your skills change and as your accomplishments accumulate. You should know that for every job listing, there are many applicants so having a ready to go resume would always be best. You should know that hiring managers are busy and they do not read all resumes carefully. When they see something good, they make decision right away. By having an up to date resume that clearly display your knowledge, skills and accomplishments in a way that a busy manager can quickly read and make decision, would be advantages.
Even you already have university degrees but additional trainings always help. Certifications do not make one better than another but they do give hiring managers some impressions that this candidate has something more than the others who are not certified. When hiring managers are overwhelmed with too many resumes that they have to read, they will eliminate candidates who are not certified in certain skills required. Certifications also give hiring managers the assurance that a candidate is serious about lifelong learning and being an expert in certain areas. Technology people who want to advance in their career must consider additional certification trainings every few years to keep them more unique from others.
Today, technical people can work for any company from anywhere. There are more jobs from global company than local company so it is possible that you may be able to work for a global company but still staying in your country. “Virtual workers” is the new thing as more skilled people are working “Virtually” from their home. To do that, you need to have the ability to communicate in foreign languages. English is the prefer language for most virtual workers. It is very easy to search for hiring companies today as opposed to several years ago. As job seeker, it is your responsibility to not only know yourself but to also know about the company you’re applying for a job. There are many website listing jobs and many are desperately looking for skilled people. Study the company websites, articles, marketing material and profiles of hiring companies before applying for jobs.
It is very important to know your knowledge and skills before apply for jobs. Only you know what you are good at or really care about doing in your chosen career. Only you can demonstrate the value that you can bring to your employers. You may not know what to expect in a job interview but one thing you can be certain about is knowing who you are and knowing how you will be able to demonstrate your talents or give examples of what you have done to potential employers. Select the job that you really like and the one that matches your skills, else you will likely be looking for another new job soon.
During job interviews, employers will ask a lot of technical questions as well as business questions. They want to know what your skills are. What schools are you graduating from? What are your accomplishments? And why do you want to work for them? You will need to demonstrate to them about your knowledge; your skills that you are qualified for the job that you are applying and also that you have researched the company and know something about them too. By carefully planned your answers before the interview, you will be engaging them in a conversation as they share their views with you. By listening to their concerns, by understand their needs; you will be able to show them your business analytical and critical thinking skills as well as the prospect of who you will be capable of if they hire you.
In this uncertain time, you must always be prepared and a well prepared people will have much better chance than people who sits and waits for an opportunity that may never come.
Prof John Vu
Carnegie Mellon University
Original source: http://johnvublog.com/?p=402
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