HR Interview Tips And Some Useful Questions:

Introduction

Okay, so you have managed to hold your nerves in control and brave the questions of the HR. You are now at the end of your interview session. What next? The answer is, there are a few more steps to go. For instance, the HR person may ask you if you have anything to ask of him/her. How do you respond to that? It is quite likely that you are stressed out and nothing comes to your mind. This article deals with this situation and gives you a few intelligent questions that you may ask.

The Rationale

First of all let us try to understand why the HR person puts you in such a situation. Is he/she simply being nice to you or is there more to it? One possible reason is that the company wants to project an image of transparency. The company wants you to know that it encourages two-way communication between the top management and the subordinates, an atmosphere where everyone can ask relevant questions and expect to get answers. In other words, the company respects the employee’s need to know about matters that affect him, no matter where he is in the hierarchy.

Next, and more important, this situation checks your presence of mind and ability to form intelligent questions. So far you have been simply answering questions asked of you. How do you behave when you are in a position to ask questions? What kind of questions do you ask? It also shows how serious you are about the company and the job.

Let us get on to some questions now.

Some Useful Questions

Before you set out to ask questions, keep the above reasons in mind. It would be good to sincerely thank the HR person for such an opportunity. You can start with something like “I have really enjoyed this opportunity to meet you and your team at .. (the company name). Yes, there are a few things I would like to know, thank you for asking” However it is not wise to ask the HR a volley of questions and turn it into a counter interview. Consider the questions below and choose one or two from them that you find the most useful to you.

• What do you personally find the most enjoyable part of working for this company?
• May I ask why or how you joined this organization? / What brought you here?
• I would like to know about the work atmosphere here…
• Would you be able to tell me about this company’s vision/philosophy?
• How would you evaluate this organization’s strengths and weaknesses?
• I would like to know a little about my day-to-day responsibilities.
• Is this an immediate requirement? How soon would you be taking people on board for this position?
• I would like to know how my skills compare with the other people who have applied for this position.
• I am really interested in this opportunity and I feel I have the required skills for this position. What would I have to do next?
• Now that our interview is coming to close, is there anything you would like to know about my ability towards this job?
• Would you be able to tell me a little about what the company expects from its employees? What are the most important assets and skills for this company?
• Does the company follow a structured path in promoting the employees? How does it go?
• If the company finds me good at the job, how would it advance me? What would be the next step in my career growth?
• If I performed well in the current position, what are the additional likely opportunities for me within this company?
• Are there any special areas in this company that the top leaders emerge from?/ Are there special areas like say sales or engineering that have more prospects for growth within this company, or do the leaders come from a cross section of different areas?
• The company has decided to recruit for this position from outside. How does the company choose between recruiting from within or outside?
• How far does this particular position contribute to the bottom line?
• What advice would you give to someone selected for this position?
• What are the current challenges of this position/department within the company?
• Before I leave, can I have a formal/written description of the position? This would help me to review the activities and evaluate what is expected of me.
• Is this job likely to lead to other positions in the company? What is the usual route?
• Would you be able to tell me a little about the people I will be working with?
• Before I take your leave, let me check my understanding of the position. The designation is …., the responsibilities are …., it is in the ….. department, and I would be reporting to ……. Please correct me if I have got it wrong anywhere.
• How does this company promote equal opportunity and diversity?
• Would you be able to tell me who the company regards as its stars? What have been their most important contributions?
• How do the subordinates address their seniors in this company?
• Could you tell me about the management style of this company?
• If you selected me for this position, what assignment would I be starting on?
• Does this company have a formal mission statement? Am I allowed to see it?
• What are the most important parameters along which this company evaluates an employee’s contribution? 
 

Some Usefull Question Answers
 

1. Tell me about yourself?
I am down-to-earth, sweet, smart, creative, industrious, and thorough.
2. How has your experience prepared you for your career?
Coursework:
Aside from the discipline and engineering foundation learning that I have gained from my courses, I think the design projects, reports, and presentations have prepared me most for my career.
Work Experience:
Through internships, I have gained self-esteem, confidence, and problem-solving skills. I also refined my technical writing and learned to prepare professional documents for clients.
Student Organizations:
By working on multiple projects for different student organizations while keeping up my grades, I've built time management and efficiency skills. Additionally, I've developed leadership, communication, and teamwork abilities.
Life Experience:
In general, life has taught me determination and the importance of maintaining my ethical standards.
3. Describe the ideal job.
Ideally, I would like to work in a fun, warm environment with individuals working independently towards team goals or individual goals. I am not concerned about minor elements, such as dress codes, cubicles, and the level of formality. Most important to me is an atmosphere that fosters attention to quality, honesty, and integrity.
4. What type of supervisor have you found to be the best?
I have been fortunate enough to work under wonderful supervisors who have provided limited supervision, while answering thoughtful questions and guiding learning. In my experience, the best supervisors give positive feedback and tactful criticism.
5. What do you plan to be doing in five years' time?
Taking the PE exam and serving in supervisory/leadership roles both at work and in professional/community organization(s).
6. What contributions could you make in this organization that would help you to stand out from other applicants?
In previous internships, my industriousness and ability to teach myself have been valuable assets to the company. My self-teaching abilities will minimize overhead costs, and my industriousness at targeting needs without prompting will set me apart from others. Additionally, one thing that has always set me apart from my scientific/engineering peers are my broad interests and strong writing abilities. I am not your typical "left-brained" engineer, and with my broad talents, I am likely to provide diverse viewpoints.
7. What sort of criteria are you using to decide the organization you will work for?
Most importantly, I am looking for a company that values quality, ethics, and teamwork. I would like to work for a company that hires overachievers.
8. What made you choose your major?
My academic interests are broad, so I sought civil engineering to achieve a great balance of mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and writing.
9. Have your university and major met your expectations?
The College of Engineering at MSU has exceeded my expectations by providing group activities, career resources, individual attention, and professors with genuine interest in teaching.
My major has met my expectations by about 90%. I would have enjoyed more choices in environmental courses, and would have preferred more calculus-based learning.
10. What made you choose this college?
I chose this college for the following reasons: my budget limited me to in-state schools, I was seeking an area with dog-friendly apartments, the MSU web site impressed me, I saw active student groups, and the people were very friendly.

Group Discussion Tips

Group Discussion is a very important round in any selection process, be it for an MBA course, campus recruitment or for any graduate/post graduate degree. The selection committee conducts GD to gauge whether the candidate has certain personality traits and/or skills that it desires in its members, say for example

• § Ability to work in a team
• § Communication skills
• § Leadership skills
• § Reasoning ability
• § Initiativeness
• § Assertiveness
• § Creatibility
• § Flexibility
• § Ability to think and act independently

Normally groups of 8-10 candidates are formed into a leaderless group, and are given a specific situation to analyse and discuss within a given time limit. The group may be given a Case Study and asked to come out with a solution for a problem. The group may be given a topic and asked to discuss on the same. A panel will observe the proceedings and evaluate the members of the group.

Let’s discuss some few relevant points which one should remember while appearing for a GD. One needs to know what one's objective in the group is---- to be noticed by the panel and to contribute meaningfully in an attempt to help the group reach the right consensus.

1) The first thing is that the panel should notice you. Merely making a meaningful contribution and helping the group arrive at a consensus is not enough.

· You must ensure that the group hears you. If the group hears you, so will the evaluator.

· You need to be assertive. It depends on you how you steer the group in the right direction, once it gets stuck to something. This gives you the chance to showcase your leadership skills.

· Most importantly, you have to make your chances. Many group discussion participants often complain that they did not get a chance to speak. The fact is that in no group discussion will you get a chance to speak. There is nothing more unacceptable in a GD than keeping one's mouth shut or just murmuring things which are inaudible.

2) The second most essential thing is that your contribution to the group should be meaningful. For that you need to have a good knowledge base. You should be able to think logically and hence put forth you ideas cohesively. The quality of what you said is more valuable than the quantity. It doesn’t help if you shout at the top of your voice and speak at great length, what matters most is what you speak and how it creates an impact on the group as well as the evaluators.

3) The last most important thing is that you must be clearly seen to be attempting to build a consensus. This shows your ability to work in a team, your ability to adjust yourself in new surroundings and help others in your team to reach a definite conclusion amidst difference of opinions. After all this is what all Group Discussions aim at: To be able to discuss and arrive at a consensus.

To be able to meet the above requirements during a Group Discussion, one should keep in mind the following basic mantras:

a) Be Yourself. Be as natural as possible and don’t try to be someone you are not.

b) Take time to organize your thoughts. Don’t suddenly jump to any conclusion. Think before you speak so that you don’t speak anything irrelevant to the topic being discussed.

c) Don’t make the mistake of looking at the panel while you are speaking. You are in a Group Discussion and you are expected to discuss among group members, so always look at your group members while you are speaking.

d) Seek clarifications if you have any doubts regarding the subject, before the discussion commences.

e) Your body language says a lot about you - your gestures and mannerisms are more likely to reflect your attitude than what you say.
f) Never try to show your dominance. Be assertive, speak yourself and let others speak as well.

g) Don’t lose your cool if anyone says anything you object to. The key is to stay objective: Don't take the discussion personally.

h) Show your leadership skills. Motivate the other members of the team to speak. Be receptive to others' opinions and do not be abrasive or aggressive.

i) Remember, opening the discussion is not the only way of gaining attention and recognition. If you do not give valuable insights during the discussion, all your efforts of initiating the discussion will be in vain.

Don’t be disheartened if you did not do well in your First Group Discussion. Instead try to learn from your past mistakes. Remember,
Practice makes man perfect!!!!

Resume Writing Tips

Having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job. That is beyond discussion. How does one make sure that his resume is top notch and bullet proof, however? There are several websites with tips around the web, but most bring just a handful of them. We wanted to put them all together in a single place, and that is what you will find below: 44 resume writing tips.

1. Know the purpose of your resume

Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document was to land a job. As a result they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you the job (hopefully!).

2. Back up your qualities and strengths

Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver) try to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up, else it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things.

3. Make sure to use the right keywords

Most companies (even smaller ones) are already using digital databases to search for candidates. This means that the HR department will run search queries based on specific keywords. Guess what, if your resume doesn’t have the keywords related to the job you are applying for, you will be out even before the game starts.

These keywords will usually be nouns. Check the job description and related job ads for a clue on what the employer might be looking for. You can read more about resume keywords on the article Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness.

4. Use effective titles

Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in 5 seconds. Under this time frame the most important aspect will be the titles that you listed on the resume, so make sure they grab the attention. Try to be as descriptive as possible, giving the employer a good idea about the nature of your past work experiences. For example:

Bad title: Accounting
Good title: Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping

5. Proofread it twice

It would be difficult to emphasize the importance of proofreading your resume. One small typo and your chances of getting hired could slip. Proofreading it once is not enough, so do it twice, three times or as many as necessary.

6. Use bullet points

No employer will have the time (or patience) to read long paragraphs of text. Make sure, therefore, to use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background and professional objectives.

7. Where are you going?

Including professional goals can help you by giving employers an idea of where you are going, and how you want to arrive there. You don’t need to have a special section devoted to your professional objectives, but overall the resume must communicate it. The question of whether or not to highlight your career objectives on the resume is a polemic one among HR managers, so go with your feeling. If you decide to list them, make sure they are not generic.

8. Put the most important information first

This point is valid both to the overall order of your resume, as well as to the individual sections. Most of the times your previous work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top. When describing your experiences or skills, list the most important ones first.

9. Attention to the typography

First of all make sure that your fonts are big enough. The smaller you should go is 11 points, but 12 is probably safer. Do not use capital letters all over the place, remember that your goal is to communicate a message as fast and as clearly as possible. Arial and Times are good choices.

10. Do not include “no kidding” information

There are many people that like to include statements like “Available for interview” or “References available upon request.” If you are sending a resume to a company, it should be a given that you are available for an interview and that you will provide references if requested. Just avoid items that will make the employer think “no kidding!”

11. Explain the benefits of your skills

Merely stating that you can do something will not catch the attention of the employer. If you manage to explain how it will benefit his company, and to connect it to tangible results, then you will greatly improve your chances.

12. Avoid negativity

Do not include information that might sound negative in the eyes of the employer. This is valid both to your resume and to interviews. You don’t need to include, for instance, things that you hated about your last company.

13. Achievements instead of responsibilities

Resumes that include a long list of “responsibilities included…” are plain boring, and not efficient in selling yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, therefore, describe your professional achievements.

14. No pictures

Sure, we know that you are good looking, but unless you are applying for a job where the physical traits are very important (e.g., modeling, acting and so on), and unless the employer specifically requested it, you should avoid attaching your picture to the resume.

15. Use numbers

This tip is a complement to the 13th one. If you are going to describe your past professional achievements, it would be a good idea to make them as solid as possible. Numbers are your friends here. Don’t merely mention that you increased the annual revenues of your division, say that you increased them by $100,000, by 78%, and so on.

16. One resume for each employer

One of the most common mistakes that people make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings that they can find. Sure it will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (so in reality it could even represent a waste of time). Tailor your resume for each employer. The same point applies to your cover letters.

17. Identify the problems of the employer

A good starting point to tailor your resume for a specific employer is to identify what possible problems he might have at hand. Try to understand the market of the company you are applying for a job, and identify what kind of difficulties they might be going through. After that illustrate on your resume how you and your skills would help to solve those problems.

18. Avoid age discrimination

It is illegal to discriminate people because of their age, but some employers do these considerations nonetheless. Why risk the trouble? Unless specifically requested, do not include your age on your resume.

19. You don’t need to list all your work experiences

If you have job experiences that you are not proud of, or that are not relevant to the current opportunity, you should just omit them. Mentioning that you used to sell hamburgers when you were 17 is probably not going to help you land that executive position.

20. Go with what you got

If you never had any real working experience, just include your summer jobs or volunteer work. If you don’t have a degree yet, mention the title and the estimated date for completion. As long as those points are relevant to the job in question, it does not matter if they are official or not.

21. Sell your fish

Remember that you are trying to sell yourself. As long as you don’t go over the edge, all the marketing efforts that you can put in your resume (in its content, design, delivery method and so on) will give you an advantage over the other candidates.

22. Don’t include irrelevant information

Irrelevant information such as political affiliation, religion and sexual preference will not help you. In fact it might even hurt your chances of landing an interview. Just skip it.

23. Use Mr. and Ms. if appropriate

If you have a gender neutral name like Alex or Ryan make sure to include the Mr. or Ms. prefix, so that employers will not get confused about your gender.

24. No lies, please

Seems like a no brainer, but you would be amused to discover the amount of people that lie in their resumes. Even small lies should be avoided. Apart from being wrong, most HR departments do background checks these days, and if you are buster it might ruin your credibility for good.

25. Keep the salary in mind

The image you will create with your resume must match the salary and responsibility level that you are aiming for.

26. Analyze job ads

You will find plenty of useful information on job ads. Analyze no only the ad that you will be applying for, but also those from companies on the same segment or offering related positions. You should be able to identify what profile they are looking for and how the information should be presented.

27. Get someone else to review your resume

Even if you think you resume is looking kinky, it would be a good idea to get a second and third opinion about it. We usually become blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning, so another people will be in a good position to evaluate the overall quality of your resume and make appropriate suggestions.

28. One or two pages

The ideal length for a resume is a polemic subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists, however, say that it should contain one or two pages at maximum. Just keep in mind that, provided all the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better.

29. Use action verbs

A very common advice to job seekers is to use action verbs. But what are they? Action verbs are basically verbs that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what your experience or achievement were. Examples include managed, coached, enforced and planned. Here you can find a complete list of action verbs divided by skill category.

30. Use a good printer

If you are going to use a paper version of your resume, make sure to use a decent printer. Laser printers usually get the job done. Plain white paper is the preferred one as well.

31. No hobbies

Unless you are 100% sure that some of your hobbies will support you candidacy, avoid mentioning them. I know you are proud of your swimming team, but share it with your friends and not with potential employers.

32. Update your resume regularly

It is a good idea to update your resume on a regular basis. Add all the new information that you think is relevant, as well as courses, training programs and other academic qualifications that you might receive along the way. This is the best way to keep track of everything and to make sure that you will not end up sending an obsolete document to the employer.

33. Mention who you worked with

If you have reported or worked with someone that is well known in your industry, it could be a good idea to mention it on the resume. The same thing applies to presidents and CEOs. If you reported to or worked directly with highly ranked executives, add it to the resume.

34. No scattered information

Your resume must have a clear focus. If would cause a negative impression if you mentioned that one year you were studying drama, and the next you were working as an accountant. Make sure that all the information you will include will work towards a unified image. Employers like decided people.

35. Make the design flow with white space

Do not jam your resume with text. Sure we said that you should make your resume as short and concise as possible, but that refers to the overall amount of information and not to how much text you can pack in a single sheet of paper. White space between the words, lines and paragraphs can improve the legibility of your resume.

36. Lists all your positions

If you have worked a long time for the same company (over 10 years) it could be a good idea to list all the different positions and roles that you had during this time separately. You probably had different responsibilities and developed different skills on each role, so the employer will like to know it.

37. No jargon or slang

It should be common sense, but believe me, it is not. Slang should never be present in a resume. As for technical jargon, do not assume that the employer will know what you are talking about. Even if you are sending your resume to a company in the same segment, the person who will read it for the first time might not have any technical expertise.

38. Careful with sample resume templates

There are many websites that offer free resume templates. While they can help you to get an idea of what you are looking for, do not just copy and paste one of the most used ones. You certainly don’t want to look just like any other candidate, do you?

39. Create an email proof formatting

It is very likely that you will end up sending your resume via email to most companies. Apart from having a Word document ready to go as an attachment, you should also have a text version of your resume that does not look disfigured in the body of the email or in online forms. Attachments might get blocked by spam filters, and many people just prefer having the resume on the body of the email itself.

40. Remove your older work experiences

If you have been working for 20 years or more, there is no need to have 2 pages of your resume listing all your work experiences, starting with the job at the local coffee shop at the age of 17! Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough.

41. No fancy design details

Do not use a colored background, fancy fonts or images on your resume. Sure, you might think that the little flowers will cheer up the document, but other people might just throw it away at the sight.

42. No pronouns

You resume should not contain the pronouns “I” or “me.” That is how we normally structure sentences, but since your resume is a document about your person, using these pronouns is actually redundant.

43. Don’t forget the basics

The first thing on your resume should be your name. It should be bold and with a larger font than the rest of the text. Make sure that your contact details are clearly listed. Secondly, both the name and contact details should be included on all the pages of the resume (if you have more than one).

44. Consider getting professional help

If you are having a hard time to create your resume, or if you are receiving no response whatsoever from companies, you could consider hiring a professional resume writing service. There are both local and online options are available, and usually the investment will be worth the money.

Interview Tips You Will Find Handy

Phone Interview

An increasing number of organizations are choosing to use the phone interviewing method to screen candidates before calling them for the actual interview. The main thought behind conducting a phone interview is to allow the company to verify the basic details of the applicant while also scrutinizing his/her basic English speaking skills, enthusiasm for the job and also do a check on the details you have mentioned in your resume. Usually the company will conduct a single phone interview but such norms may or may not be followed by very company, so you can expect a second call if they would like to confirm further details regarding your education, work experience, etc.

When you are submitting your resume along with the job application do not forget to mention what time of the day you will be available as the company will call you at such a time. Be prepared for the interview and always have a copy of your resume with you in case you need it.

Exit Interview

Exit interviews are interviews conducted by a company when an employee is leaving the company. The primary reason for conducting or taking such an interview is to know why the employee is resigning or leaving his job at the company. The exit interview is conducted by either the HR manager or someone who is responsible for recruitment in the company. During the interview the employee’s boss or immediate senior is not invited thus allowing the person to be open and candid regarding his/her decision to leave the company. There is also a form that accompanies the interview where in the reasons for the employees departure from the company, overall experience and feedback is noted.

Who is the interviewer?

The interviewer is a person who is responsible for conducting an interview. The interviewer can be an outsider appointed by the company or a person from the HR or recruitment department of the company. While some interviewers may have a set questionnaire for a technical interview, group interview etc, but most interviewers believe in group discussion interviews or one on one interview. The first interview is always a written interview followed by other interviews.

Interviewers have the uncanny knack of being good observers, they precisely monitor your behavior, your interaction abilities, how confidently you participate and answer during a group interview.

The questions that you can expect – tell me something about yourself, what do you remember the most about your college campus, and why do you want to join this company etc.

Technical Job Interview Tips

Technical job interviews are not classified as being amongst the easier of the job interviews conducted. These interviews are conducted for only those who are technically qualified in a particular field say like computer language programming or engineering. The interviewer will have a certain agenda for each candidate usually based on his/her field of expertise. A technical interview can be very tough if you are not sound in the field, the interviewer can grind you extensively till the time they know for sure whether or not you are completely qualified for the position you seek.

On your part you would well to do some research regarding the latest developments in your sector and the latest tools and applications being employed. If you have been out of job for sometime then do brush up and polish your skills wherever needed.

Creating the first impression

A lot has always been said about the ‘First Impression.’ And the fact is that your first impression during the interview can make a world of difference to your job prospects. First and foremost is dressing up appropriately for the interview. Do not dress up loudly, do not wear a jeans and funky accessories just to prove you are in sync with fashion, neither should to dress up in such a way to suggest you have no dressing sense.

Dress up smartly and your body language should reflect confidence and not a nervous persona. Every candidate has interview jitters but those who are able to display confidence along with the correct attitude are always able to create the right first impression. Thereafter the interviewer is looking forward to interviewing you and knowing about the skills, the abilities and a lot more that you may have to offer to the company.

50 BABYSITTER in Doha,Qatar - Mission Way Manpower Services, Inc.

Mission Way Manpower Services, Inc. - POEA work abroad is now open for your application. If you are willing to work as babysitter in Qatar, just visit the agency address below.

POEA Hiring Recruitment Agency: MISSION WAY MANPOWER SERVICES INC Landbased Agency
Location Address: GF, UNITS-A and B (2F) and 3B,1828 SN MARCELINO ST MALATE, MANILA
Telephone Numbers: 5227386/3022007
Email Address: MISSIONWAYMANPOWER@YAHOO.COM
Websit: None
Official Representative: MR FERDINAND E MAGSINO
Status: Good Standing
License Validity: 3/20/2008 to 3/19/2012

POEA License Number: 106-LB-041708-R

Advertised: 28-2-11 | Closing Date: 27-5-11

Prospective Principal/Project: JASSIM SERVICES

Requirements:
* Candidate must possess at least a High School Diploma,
* Applicants must be willing to work in Doha.
* Fresh graduates/Entry level applicants are encouraged to apply.
* With good commands of oral and written English.
* Can easily understand instructions and work under minimum supervision.
* Must be hardworking.
* Age: 23 - 42 years old
* 50 Full-Time positions available.

100 NURSING AID -- ANCHOR INTERNATIONAL MANPOWER SERVICES, INC. -- kuwait

Job hiring for 100 NURSING AID -- ANCHOR INTERNATIONAL MANPOWER SERVICES, INC. in Kuwait.

Requirements:
Candidate must possess at least a Bachelors/College Degree , Nursing or equivalent.At least 2 year(s) of working experience in the related field is required for this position. Applicants must be willing to work in Kuwait. Must have pleasing personality Must be Hardworking, Trustworthy, and Reliable. With good commands of oral and written English.Can work under pressure.Can easily understand instructions and work under minimum supervision.Willing to learn, flexible and service oriented.Perform other duties required. Age:25 - 35 years old.100 Full-Time positions available.

POEA Hiring Accredited Agency: ANCHOR INTERNATIONAL MANPOWER SVCS INC (FOR. ANCHOR MARINE SVCS INC) Landbased Agency
Location Address: ST.JUDE BLDG 1020 MALVAR ST COR MODESTO MALATE, MANILA
Telephone Numbers: 5262788 - 94/ 5238835/ 5213405/ 5220030/ 5214270
Email Address: aimsi@info.com.ph and mkzg@pacific.net.ph
Website: None
Official Representative: MR OSCAR T GARCIA
Status: Good Standing
License Validity: 10/17/2010 to 10/16/2014

A message from Kirk Baumann

We all have competition.  Hopefully, we all provide competition.  And we like to win, right?  It has been said that competition fosters innovation.  In other words, people work a little harder when they know they're competing for a prize.  We're all competing for something, but I'd like to focus on the competition for employment. 
Here are a few suggestions to help you compete in the job search:
Create a targeted plan of action.  Someone once quoted, "if you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?"  Having a targeted action plan with goals, steps to achieve those goals, and a completion status is a great tool for anyone to use who wants to see results.  Follow through with that action plan to the end.
Think differently.  You can't do what you've always done.  Doing something the same way as before guarantees one thing: a consistent outcome.  But, that consistency doesn't incorporate change. 
Accept change.  Change creates opportunity.  Without change, growth is inhibited.  Making just a small change in how you approach the job search could get you moving in a new direction quickly.
Find what fits YOU best.  Be authentic in your job search.  Hiring managers want to know that they're hiring a person, not a personality.  Make sure that your personal brand represents your entire brand and keep it consistent.
Be the best.  I think Abraham Lincoln summed it up when he said, "Whatever you are, be a good one."  Be the best at everything you do.  If you're unemployed and looking for a job, be the best job seeker on the planet.  Network with others, learn about job opportunities, and build your personal brand and credibility.