Employment Now!: The Cutting Edge and Insiders Track of How to Gain Employment Quickly!

By Steve Hall

Employment Now! The insiders track of how to gain employment quickly in today's job market was written to be a highly "tactical and practical" way for people looking for a new job, looking to make a career change or anyone needing to find employment. From an entry level position to executive management, the content in this book is like no other!

It contains exercises to help the reader develop a true plan as to how to structure and execute a highly successful job search. There are resume formats never seen in any other materials. Strategies to help newly hired people to get pay raises faster than ever before! And methods to help the readers keep the job of their dreams.

This is not a philosophical journey. It is a highly structured format, game plan to help the reader find employment the fastest way possible and use the latest in technology to do so.

We hope you love this book and look forward to any feedback. Oh.. it is also available on audio CD format, along with digital files for resumes, cover letters and follow up communications for the job search!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781631927423

Steve Hall

STEVE HALL is a historian, author, novelist and renowned Titanic researcher. He is one of the world’s foremost authorities on her photographic record, having collected, studied and researched the ship for over three decades, and is a recognised authority on the technical aspects of the Olympic-class ships. He is a consultant for media centres, auction houses and museums around the world and is regularly invited to conduct talks with history students. He is a foundation member of the Titanic and Steamship Historical Society of Australia.

Book preview

people!!!

PREFACE

I originally wrote this book when I unexpectedly became unemployed. With the mountains of information available to job seekers such as books, tapes, seminars, the internet, and other resources, I have found that the vast majority of materials available today are contradictory and incomplete. With more than three decades working in human resources with experience in a hiring capacity, I have always felt it necessary to document my research so I can continually assess what has worked for myself and others. This book is a compilation of written materials, interviews, personal experiences, and other critical information designed to help get this information in one place. Hopefully, it will get you to a place where you can find the job you really want and ultimately get the job offer and work experience you desire.

This material is meant to get you ready for your job search, prepare you with the ammunition you’ll need to get to the interviews, and help you keep the job once you land it. Written with the intent to be short and sweet, without long dissertations on the history of job hunting or the evolution of job markets, it is a practical resource to help you get interviews and finally get the job you desire. This book will sharpen your job searching skills while assisting you in getting or changing your career path as quickly as possible. With that said, let’s get started.

YOUR COMMITMENT

First, congratulations on purchasing this material and starting your new venture into your new career! Now that you have made at least the investment into this book, let’s talk about the next investment you’ll have to make to find your new career.

This material is meant to be direct and give you only the necessary information, strategies, and techniques for you to get your next job. Your next investment will be in reviewing this material, doing the exercises, and developing your job search strategies to reach your goal here… getting the job you want. On average, many job seekers spend less than five hours a week looking at ads, combing the internet, and sending resumes for their job search. In order for you to be really successful and get the job you want, you will have to commit to spending more than five hours a week. If you are really serious, then plan on spending approximately ten hours a week if you are currently employed, and more than thirty hours if you are currently unemployed. The time you spend here finding your job will include a variety of assignments so you won’t get bored or disappointed in any one aspect of your new job search. With this in mind, let’s begin.

DISCOVERING YOUR JOB INTEREST

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

The first thing you must have is an interest in getting or changing your career. Obviously you would have not purchased this book if you didn’t have an interest in making a change. Use this desire to your best advantage. The first exercise is to write down all the reasons why you want to make a career change. Is your current employer not recognizing you for your efforts? Do you and your supervisor have personality conflicts? Are you considering moving? Would you like to make more money? Have you lost your professional passion for what you do now or did in the past and want to try something else? Nearly half of all North Americans will change their professional careers at least once in their lifetime. Many (like me) have changed careers several times. That is not a bad thing, given that the career changes I have made all have similar characteristics in common. Sales, human resources, and real estate all have the people interaction aspect to them, so there is a common thread. If you were going from a position as a scientist looking for a cure for cancer and decided to become an accountant, I am not sure if the core job skills you enjoyed as a scientist would carry over well in the accounting field.

Here is the exercise for you to do now. Get a note pad, and draw a line down the middle of the paper. At the top on the left column write Why should I change careers and on the right column write Why should I stay (figure 1). Now begin writing down all the reasons why you want to make a change. This exercise will help clarify whether you should make the change or not. Take at least thirty minutes to an hour, or longer, and really address the reasons why you should make the change. This is critically important! The more clarity you have about why you should make a change, the better equipped you will be to drive home the time and energy you will use for your new job search. You would be surprised how many people are out there now job hunting without a clue as to why they are searching for employment. Of the thousands of people I have personally interviewed, fewer than thirty percent have taken the time to get very clear about why they want to make a change. In order for you to lead the pack, you need to have complete clarity on this change and write these reasons down.

In the right column, write down all the reasons why you may not change, i.e., job security, benefits, etc. By doing the exercise you may discover that making a change now may not be in your or your family’s best interest. The bottom line in doing this exercise is to help you completely understand what your outcome will be if you stay at your present job versus making a change. Before you take action, you need to be clear about your desired outcome. Don’t make the common mistake of taking action quickly, only to find out later it wasn’t right for you. Following the death of a spouse/close family member and divorce, changing a career is the third most stressful experience you will face in your lifetime. Without question, YOU MUST BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR WHEN MAKING THIS KIND OF DECISION! So right now, put down the book, get a note pad, pen, and do the exercise.

(figure 1)

Why should I stay with my present company?

1. ___________________________________

2. ___________________________________

3. ___________________________________

4. ___________________________________

5. ___________________________________

6. ___________________________________

7. ___________________________________

8. ___________________________________

9. ___________________________________

10. ___________________________________

Why should I consider other opportunities?

1. ___________________________________

2. ___________________________________

3. ___________________________________

4. ___________________________________

5. ___________________________________

6. ___________________________________

7. ___________________________________

8. ___________________________________

9. ___________________________________

10. ___________________________________

Have you done the exercise? If not, go back and do it now! Now that you’re done, go back to evaluate the reasons why you want to stay and why you want to make the change. Rate the reasons in both columns 1, 2, 3, and so on, with the most important reason being number one, etc. You can review your list to see if it makes sense to make a change. If you are married, I recommend you do the exercise with your spouse or at least share this exercise with your spouse. He or she may also have valuable input in helping you make the right decision. Whatever your decision is, the outcome will affect you both.

WHAT ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL TALENTS

Now that you have decided to make a change, you should consider which direction you will target for your career. I use the work target intentionally, since our current job market has been one of the most challenging ones in recent times. Targeting is truly the attitude you need to develop to get the job you want and deserve.

The second exercise is to write down all the things you enjoy doing. This list should include three parts:

1.     What are your major professional strengths?

2.     What do you enjoy doing in your personal time?

3.     What things you would like to do and accomplish in the future?

Again, if you are married, see if your spouse will do this exercise with you. The reason to do this is to help you to target the career that will be self-satisfying to you in the long term. Research has revealed between seventy to eighty percent of North Americans either do not like or hate what they do for a living. How can that be? How can anyone get motivated enough to get up early in the morning, fight traffic to get to work, put up with the stresses on the job for eight to ten hours, fight traffic back home, have little family time, go to bed, and get up the next morning, only to go through the cycle another day? Five days a week? If it sounds like someone you know… it’s time to make the change.

By listing the things you like doing and do well, you can focus on finding the right job for your personality. An example might be if you like talking to people -- sales or a customer service career might be a choice to consider. If you like working with data -- computer consulting or graphic design might be the way to go. If you are project oriented, you will want to consider a supervisory, project-oriented or a contractor-type position. There are thousands, if not millions, of careers you can choose from. Listing what you like doing and want to do will help you find the right opportunity.

Next, ask your closest friends the same question about you. Have them write out the things they think you’re good at, like to do, and see you doing in the future. You might be surprised what your friends see you doing versus what you think you’re best at. When you select these friends, you might include people who are employed at your current company. When you ask your co-workers, be sure they keep it strictly confidential. You may want to consider how it would affect them if you left this company, and if it would affect them, will the information be as candid as you would like? If not, don’t put yourself or them on the line. Select other friends for the exercise. The last thing you want to do is to get fired because someone accidently or otherwise let your request out to your current employer.

Remember, whatever you like, are good at, and have aspirations to do will be the right path to take when changing your career. Don’t make a change into another career you won’t be happy with! It’s not worth it.

JOB SEARCHING -- FINDING THE NEEDLE

NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENTS

There are literally hundreds of ways to search for jobs. One way (and now considered the old-fashioned way) is the reading the newspaper. Certainly the web has taken down newspapers and definitely the employment classified sections. Still, there are companies who do use the newspaper and business entities that require positing positions in the local paper. For example, some government jobs do have some requirements to post jobs in print. In most cities, newspaper ads do contain a steady number of positions that are entry-level opportunities. The most common positions listed are sales, clerical, accounting, and service industries. Some newspapers have a business section that may also list positions, but if so, typically those are usually higher level, professional positions. Take a look at your local paper to see if it has ads in the business section.

In the newspaper and other employment job posting avenues, sometimes you may see blind box ads. These ads run and are designed to advertise positions without revealing the company’s identity. Companies often place these ads to replace a current employee without the employee’s knowledge. Additionally, the company might not want the public to know which company has a vacancy. This allows this companies to respond only to resumes that most closely fit their employment needs and not to hundreds of unqualified candidates. It also reduces the number of phone calls to