Polishing the Job Interview

After catching the prospective employer's eye with an
impressive resume, the next important hurdle to face
will be passing the job interview. Although a major
chunk of your success depends on the gist of the
question and answer portion, polishing the smallest
details of your performance may just as well
contribute to the interviewer's overall assessment.
How you behave before and after the main event may
either confirm or debunk what you are verbally
claiming to be. So aside from the main marketing
pitch, what other matters should you remember?

Dress like a winner. It's possible to be the most
brilliant prospect on the candidate list, but putting
on shabby clothes may signal the contrary. If you have
a smart speech prepared, take the trouble to look the
part as well. You don't need expensive clothes: a
clean, well-pressed business suit will do just fine.
If you're a woman, don't forget to wear pantyhose if
you're in a skirt ensemble. This is an important part
of the "uniform" that most Filipinas overlook. For
both men and women, make sure the patent leather on
your feet gleams with a perfect shine, and snip out
the stray threads that are slipping out of your sleeve
or collar.
Show up on time. If you want the job bad, take the
trouble to allot at least two hours for travel time.
In this country, traffic is no longer an excuse but a
reality. Otherwise let the interviewer know if and why
you will be late, and ask for another appointment.
Confirm the interview date before showing up if the
interviewer neglected to do so himself.
Discuss salary after an offer is made. You might be
impressed with the office environment but you're
itching to know how much you'll get paid for the post.
Unless you are given a compensation and benefits
overview, delay the question until a formal job offer
has been made. Bring up the issue by politely
expressing your interest in the job, hence the need to
know the salary range and benefits. This way, you
won't come off as "mukhang pera" especially when the
employer has not made a move of particularly selecting
you just yet.
Decline politely. If you're convinced that this
oppotunity isn't for you despite the standing offer,
give the employer a phone call so that your
replacement can be sought as soon as possible. It's
important to say the proper things depending on your
intentions. If you'd like to take a jab at getting a
better offer, politely turn down the job but point out
that your doors will remain open in the future should
circumstances be different. Otherwise, graciously
inform them that it is an interesting opportunity, but
you believe that your focus is best directed
elsewhere.
Send a thank you note. Not many of us are aware of
this, but it's important to thank your contact for
referring you to a job, especially if you got the post
based on this person's good recommendation. Doing so
is a sign of courtesy and indicates how well you carry
yourself in a business setting. This also serves as a
good networking practice. Sending thank you notes
keeps your relationships open and friendly, and
ensures you'lll remain in the loop the next time a
good opportunity comes around.
Writing the Resume
By Lolita Villa
There are various ways in writing a resume. The best
approach is still in keeping with the basic approach:
clean, professional presentation, with objectives
personalized for what the recipient is looking for.
Though you have a lot of freedom in designing unique
resumes that should stand out amid the clutter and
piles that come into your target company's door, you
need to remember to exercise your creativity within
the basic requirements in resume writing. But whatever
the case, good quality in content and presentation is
all that it takes to pass the mark.
Keep these tips in mind:
1. Always include the name of your past employers. The
companies you worked for can lend more credibility to
your name.
2. State your job title clearly and be specific.
3. Balance your list of duties by presenting not too
little or too much. Provide an overview.
4. If you can't remember dates, at least remember the
months. Start with the current job followed by the
preceding ones.
5. Use action words and short, clearly written
phrases.
6. Highlight your accomplishments!
7. Try not to provide resumes that are longer than
three pages.
8. As a rule, stick to simple and formal font types.
9. Proof read your resume carefully.
10. Provide complete contact data (including
alternative contact numbers) so that you will be sure
to be reached.
Becoming More Competitive
Joyce O. See
We could easily describe today´s job market as
competitive. Just to give you an idea, institutions
produce over 380,000 college graduates from different
academic disciplines annually. A jobseeker will also
have to deal with more experienced candidates vying
for the same position. Please find below some tips on
how to come out victorious in today´s job market.
First Tip: Be Confident
If you don´t think you can do the job, then you will
most likely convince the employer not to hire you for
the position.
The safest way to go is not just to claim that you can
do it (especially if you honestly can´t do it), but to
assess what your strengths and weaknesses are.
It is important to note that each of us have our own
strengths and weaknesses, so try to identify them.
Suppose you are applying for a certain position. The
employer usually gives out job descriptions and
qualifications for their vacancies. The key here is
not to send your application if you are not qualified.
This simple process could save you, your valuable time
and resources. If after sometime you still get
rejected in your applications, don´t lose hope.
Re-assess your strengths and weaknesses, and
continually develop your knowledge and skills.
Second Tip: Don´t Put An End To Your Learning
By now, some of you might be exhausted from studying
your lessons. But if you will not gain the necessary
knowledge and skills that you need, your career is
going to be sluggish.
The New Economy demands each employee to be Knowledge
workers. Knowledge workers can be classified as top of
the line professionals that continuously seek career
advancements by investing in tools or resources that
could reshape their talents and/or abilities.
For starters, you have to read newspapers, or surf the
Internet and keep yourself updated about the latest
trends in your industry. Visit libraries and try to
learn new things each day. Improving your skills will
help you catch up with the more experienced
candidates.
Third Tip: Work Smart
Do you consider yourself as a hardworking individual?
Well, all of us can work hard, but what can
distinguish us from another hardworking individual is
our ability to work smart.
Working smart means working fast and using your
resources effectively. Before we even begin working on
a project, you must lay down all the important
details, you must take into consideration all the
possible consequences in implementing the task. A
reasonable timeline must also be in place to guide
you.
In your job application, it is also going to be
helpful to apply this principle. Manage your time and
resources properly, so you could increase your chances
of landing a good position in a good organization.
In conclusion, competition is only tough to those who
are not open to developments. We must not always blame
it to the country´s economic situation, the course
that you took in college, or the school you attended.
The fact of the matter is organizations are
continuously seeking for better individuals to assume
responsibilities that might improve their standing in
the market, especially during hard times. If you don÷t
have what it takes to contribute to the success of an
organization, even if you graduated in a good school
and selected the most in demand course, they will just
look for a better candidate.
Today´s job market can only make each of us better
individuals if we strive for excellence then it won't
be that hard for us to achieve our career goals.
Strategize and Get Promoted
By Lolita Villa
As in most things, what determines your promotion is
still the decisions you make and how you perform in
your current job. However, just going out there "to do
your best" just doesn't cut it. Doing one's best
entails having a specific goal in mind (get promoted)
to help you focus, adapting to the prevailing
corporate culture or organizational structure,
widening a network of influential relationships, and
planning ahead. If you go out and do your best in
these areas and following these strategies, you may
well find yourself getting promoted.
Adapt to the new organizational structure. According
to Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., a published career
expert, getting promoted is also hinged on adapting to
the new corporate paradigm. The impact of technology,
globalization and flatter organizational structures,
has made it possible for people to create and manage
their own career paths. Today, the multi-tasking
nature of jobs requires not just specialization but
stacking up on related skills. This makes moving on to
lateral positions sensible; you may need to make such
a move to position yourself for an upward move in the
future.
Plan ahead. According to Dr. Donald E. Wetmore's The
Productivity Institute, people who go to work each day
who don't have a plan of action in accomplishing their
duties will unlikely get promoted. Having a plan for
the short and long-term helps you foresee threats and
opportunities that might crop ahead and act on them
appropriately.
One of the most irresponsible ways to work is to
simply react on what things come your way according to
the sense of urgency it presents in any given moment.
On the most basic level, having a daily and weekly
checklist, drafted according to the deadlines you need
to meet and the opportunities you'd like to take is
effective in letting you see where you're headed for
and how much you're getting accomplished. Set
long-term goals by visualizing where you'd like to be
in the future and make micro plans in accomplishing
them.
The bottomline is to make sure that you know what
you're doing all the time. Don't get lost in a flurry
of expectations and responsibilities. And in doing so
you stay focused enough to excel in your present job
so that you're ready to get higher responsibilities
when the time comes.
Build good relationships. There are many ways to build
career relationships Flatter working structures make
team playing and broadening a network of influential
relationships integral to your career move. Be a team
player and establish a bond with your boss. Studies
show that people who have amiable relationships with
their superiors and build rapport with them make it
easy for them to climb the corporate ladder.
This goes hand in hand with seeking a mentor. One
recent study found that out of four out of five
promotions, those promoted had a mentoring
relationship with someone in a higher position and who
helped endorse them for positive career moves. This is
because your mentor, who has personally had a hand in
your development and training, can attest from
experience your competence and ability, not to mention
the fact that this is one of the best ways to grow in
your company. Seek out a mentor; just don't forget
that the best teaching relationships are founded on
amiable friendships.
Meanwhile, actively networking not only enriches your
circle of friends but also helps you be in the know
when a good opportunity comes up. Being a team player
helps builds your reputation and increases your value
to the organization when you recognize, appreciate and
harness the talents of your team mates to produce the
very best value for your company.
Promote yourself. Don't expect your superior to guess
at your accomplishment. It is your job to make him or
her be aware of your accolades and what you've
accomplished for your department/ the company so far.
One of the best ways to do this is to quantify
results. Make a good case for a promotion by showing
detailed information about your past successes.
Results-oriented people usually get ahead.
Be creative in making your achievements known. Do this
in such a way that doesn't seem like you're bragging
and thereby inadvertently inspire the ire of your
colleagues. For example, in sending accomplishment
reports to your boss, always acknowledge the
contribution of people in your team whenever
applicable. The bottomline is to put your achievements
in focus. This makes sure that whatever good you've
done for the company doesn't go away unnoticed and
uncompensated.
Taking the initiative to strategize for a successful
career path is a surefire way in getting ahead.
Get Yourself Promoted
By Lolita Villa
Promotion is a common goal we all work hard for. It
gives us something to aim for during the long,
hardworking, underpaid day at the office. But while
some people do step up the corporate ladder, others
seem to cling on to the lower rungs. Not understanding
the reasons why some people don't make vertical may
give rise to feelings of envy towards their colleagues
or bitter feelings against a boss who might be seen as
myopic or ungrateful.
It takes a little bit of proactivity and
open-mindedness to get out of stagnant waters -
especially if you're one of the people whose
promotions are taking too long in coming. The
important thing to remember is that promotions don't
just happen to you. It's not a gift that falls out of
the sky. Promotions (or variations of such, like
getting a raise) are given to the winner who runs the
race, and who makes every effort to stretch his arm
out to get the prize.
There are a few practical things you can do to get
yourself promoted. Put them to practice and watch
yourself get one over the competition:
1. Be honest with yourself. Evaluate yourself
carefully if you have what it takes to get promoted.
Like everything else in life, big breaks can be had
when the basic elements are in place: performing
consistently well and having a clean reputation are a
given in every successful career. If you haven't moved
on in awhile, you need to ask yourself whether it's
due to factors beyond your control, or if it's your
fault.
2. Get a mentor in the higher-up. A recent study found
that four out of five promotions involved a mentoring
relationship with a person in high position who
endorsed the worker in question. It helps to build
relationships with people who can give you more
information and guidance in your career, as well those
who are able to pass on to the boss a good word or two
about your progress.
3. Get more skills. Specialization is a good thing,
but the impact of technology, globalization, and
flatter organizational structures is changing what it
means to be "marketable" in the industry. Focusing on
skills that are just related to your present job will
most likely just get you to stay in that job. But if
you have your eyes set on jobs of higher
responsibility, you need to assess and learn for
yourself what additional skills and knowledge that job
requires.
4. Sell yourself. Advertising your achievements is
sometimes mistaken by others as "sucking up to the
boss." This is not true. It's a sad fact that no
matter how hard working or brilliant you may be in
your little corner, you'll get absolutely nowhere if
nobody is aware of the good you're doing in the
organization. Be visible. Carbon copy your
accomplishment reports not just to your immediate
superior, but also to your boss's superior, whenever
appropriate. Volunteer to spearhead activities in your
organization such as leading seminars and the like.
5. Be a problem solver. Employers like to feel that
they have nothing to worry about when a particular job
is in the hands of a dependable person. If you are
able to handle responsibilities and contingencies
smoothly without having to pull the boss out of his
golf game or mid-morning meeting, then you're halfway
there.
6. Network like crazy. Silent people are easily
forgotten. Don't let obscurity steal your chance at
getting further up the corporate ladder. Make friends
with everyone. Establish yourself as a cooperative,
easy-going and productive person. Be helpful. Go out
of your way to make contributions not only to your
inner working sphere, but also to related departments,
especially where synergy and mutual advantages can be
had in the future.
7. Make friends with your boss. Some people have the
mistaken belief that employers stand on one side of
the fence, while the employees are on the other.
Though no person or corporate culture is perfect, it
helps to understand that both you and your superior
are in the same boat, with the fruits of success are
shared between you. Try to forge a friendly bond with
your boss, within the limits of professionalism and
propriety. Doing so will bring you no harm.
8. Be professional. Professionalism isn't just seen in
the kind of work you do. How you conduct yourself in
your relationships with your co-workers, having a
positive attitude towards work, being a role model,
and looking and acting the part of an executive (or
any other position you want to acquire) is important.
Whining, complaining and bad mouthing other people are
common, unprofessional practices.
9. Be a team player. These days, a lot of work is
being accomplished through teams. Getting a good
reputation with your team members is part of effective
networking. It's also important to share successes
with team mates. Striving to look after your own back
with disregard for everyone else is anachronistic in
today's corporate culture.
10. Keep a good record of your achievements. It helps
to keep a detailed and updated report of what you have
accomplished for your company. State specific tasks
and undeniable benefits derived from those tasks/
duties done. This is a mere back-up prop. It helps to
have some palpable evidence of how much you deserve a
promotion. The best way though, to get recognized, is
to practice a combination of the tips mentioned above.