Chapter 47 Getting the Job You Want.
In university days I worked part-time as a bartender, and resourcefully, I befriended various important people and company bosses. Each summer, a holiday job was always waiting for me! With qualifications, resourcefulness, ingenuity and friendliness, you should have little difficulty getting a job. It is often whom you know, not what you know that counts. Sometimes employment is just a phone call away! Anyone without a job is also capable of creating his own business, if he really wants to. For desperadoes, there is a fruitful approach that I never had to resort to: Offer to work for experience without pay, for a month or so. Before long, youve gained experience and skills, and you are hired!
Plan your career carefully. Your livelihood will evolve successfully if things are well considered and executed, with intelligent schedules, options and contingencies. My advice is:
1. Your 1st preference should be a career involving your talents, hobbies andinterests.
You will thrive in what you enjoy doing.
2. If you cannot do that initially, take on something related to your liking and talents,
hopefully it will lead you back to your 1st-preference job.
3. If neither 1. nor 2. is available, take whatever comes, and gain general experience
before 1 or 2 materialises. Alternatively, you might develop new interest and zeal in
another field.
Confucius wrote: ‘Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.’ Passion in your work is vital, so you must identify your interests. Check which activities thrill you the most, and recall what courses you excelled in at school. Do you like working with people or computers, or numbers? What about nature, music, art or literature? Do you perform better under pressure or in quiet seclusion? Are you better suited to a salaried job, or a self-employed enterprise? To make the right decision, give thorough considerations to every aspect and possibility.
As early as possible, get rich exposure to the real commercial world, and seasonal jobs for students provide valuable hands-on experience. Wise parents should expose children to myriad career situations to broaden their horizon, and leave the final career selections to them. A career is an evolving thing, and choices are adjustable. A job-change or mistake is sometimes the master stroke or blessing in disguise, despite the time lost along the way.
You can get a good job in various ways. My strong circle of friendship brought me almost all the jobs I landed over the years! I had advance news, got the interview and was hired before anyone knew anything. If a prospective employer likes you and your credentials enough, he will take you on and save all the hassles. Move ahead of others. You can get work through cold-calling, enquiries, vigilance and even creativity. If you are in a long queue waiting to be interviewed, pass a note to the Manager through his secretary saying: „Please dont employ anyone until you have interviewed me, Mr… If she cant find the Newsweek in the shop understairs for the boss, get one quickly! Your initiative will work wonders, believe me. In life, you simply have to get lucky in all kinds of situations, and make big impact with little chances Even errors, accidents or a casual remark can lead to something big and rewarding. With patience and persistence, you can even clinch the exact job you want by targeting and scheming. With time, you will manoeuvre yourself into the door!
Getting the interview. This is your first step. You answer an advertisement or make an initiative approach. Your application letters and resumes (CV) must be faultless, and precisely what the recruiters want. Do homework on the companies, this will attune your letters and CVs to the requirements and climate of those establishments. Scrutinise your papers from the employers point of view. Are you deserving the interview? You must sell yourself without overselling, and impress without overkill. The application letter should preferably be only a page, brief and to the point, indicating your interest and suitability for the post and accentuating selling points not prominent in the resume. Needless to say, the lay-out, length, lettering, content, flow of information, vocabulary, style, grammar must be excellent and second to none.
The resume is a set of facts on who you are and what you have done, and should display the following:
1. Name and contact address.
2. Objectives and the job reference.
3. Education and qualifications.
4. Work experience.
5. Other personal data, like age, marital status, affiliations, awards, etc.
6. References. With many applicants and contestants, any fault or weakness in your
papers will quickly disqualify you, so it pays to check and improve your letters and
CVs exhaustively, and make them top-notch.
Make thorough preparation for the interview. I have interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years and learned that the winning edge is small on many occasions. Extra preparation can determine success or failure. Have you found out more about the company, its markets, and its people? Have you done more research and have you prepared yourself for all possible questions? Your readiness tells on your character, attitude and upcoming performance. Rehearse and visualise a successful interview several times the night before. Practice perfects a performance!
Dress smartly and suitably for the job, and remember, first impressions are lasting impressions. Ensure that everything about you is neat and clean. Your image determines your worth. You should review your resume; your certificates and awards should be kept in a clean display folder for easy inspection. Set out and arrive early with a comfortable margin for unforeseen delays. This allows you time to settle down into a good mental state, see more of that company, and harmonise with the surrounding.
A successful interview. As far as possible, shake hands when you enter, and leave. Be matured and respectful, confident yet relaxed, enthusiastic but calm, upright yet comfortable. Listen carefully with sincere eye contact. Think briskly before answering a question intelligently, honestly and politely. Speak distinctly with good English, and without talking too much. Avoid artificiality, bragging, debates, and criticism of current or previous employers. A selfish attitude and thirst for financial gain is also detrimental. If asked about your weaknesses, mention those that „mirror your assets, such as excessive energy, impatience and „moving too fast. Enhance your compatibility with the prospective job in a truthful way. Make a difference and stand out from all the other contestants. Send the interviewers a thank-you letter after the meeting. You should read more books and articles about skills in job search and interviews; reading and preparation pay.
For those who fail to land in the next job, here are words of consolation and encouragement: Look for a better position where you are now. View everyday as a new beginning, and prosper in your acre of diamonds. It is still possible to progress in one company, all the way to retirement.