HIDDEN FACTS ABOUT JOB RESEARCH AND HIRING

There is a relationship between the level of diligence in job research and finding a job. There is also a minimal relationship between the quality of resume and getting hired. Here are some of the hidden facts:

1- Unemployment figures by government include part time and all of types of employment including temporary and seasonal work. Most of those would not translate to a job that people can dream of. Therefore, unemployment rate does accurately reflect the job market and people should not be misled about the labor market. Whatever the circumstances are in macro level, it is up to the job seeker’s effort and research skills to locate gainful employment. A recent study suggests that approximately 40% of job vacancies are not published. To get a job, first you need to do your research. You need to be diligent job researcher. According to another study, it takes average 23 attempts to get one interview and 17 interviews to get one job offer. Possible sources for looking for a job and their effectiveness:

A- College campus: Sign on for an interview and keep in touch with placement office. Effectiveness: 33%
B- Newspapers: Your local newspapers. Effectiveness: 52%
C- Personal networking: Your friend or relative can be a source. Effectiveness: 66%
D- Employment agencies: Make sure they don’t charge a fee to you and they collect their money from employer .Effectiveness: 29%
E- Internet: You may utilize www.resumerabbit.com. It lists over 80 sites for employment and is one of best websites you can have for looking a job. Warning: Be careful about spam job offers. You apply for a nurse position but you get an email offering you a job in sales and your annual earnings would be $120,000. Some companies use it as a trap to locate more customers or make you work for nothing. Effectiveness: 43%
F- Department of Labor: You may register to your local Department of Labor in your area and seek a job. However, this is recommended for the people who have little or no skills or experience and are ready to accept poverty level wages and salaries. Effectiveness: 39%
G- Advertise yourself: You may try to advertise yourself on newspaper “job wanted” classifieds section or use local grocery stores to advertise your credentials. Effectiveness 27%.
H- Direct mail or email or just stop by: companies and contact their recruiters or personnel offices either via mail or email. Actually it works. You create demand or reach employers who don’t advertise. You may find names and addresses of those employers in telephone directory and internet websites. Another technique is simply to knock their door and drop your resume. Effectiveness: 26%

2- Suppose you were successful in your job research and you are called for interview. Classical recommendation is that you dress properly and answer to only questions during the interview. Your dress code must be sound; however, should you just answer to the questions and do nothing else? What about questions about salary and wages and compensation? Should you negotiate it? First of all, interview process is very personal and biased. Hiring executives and managers seek a level of comfort with you. Even if your qualifications match and you handle questions very well, you may still be turned down for employment. So what it takes to increase your chances to get hired. Here are some strategies:

A- Before you go to an interview, study the company’s personality and organizational culture and try to get a sense about whether you are fit to work there. For example, you may try to collect data about the birth dates of company employees. Ask a brochure about company’s treatment of its personnel and turnover rate and credit standing or another information that could be useful to better understand the company you intend to work for. This research should also assist you in determining the length of your employment after you find answers whether the company is professionally managed or it uses primitive management techniques.
B- Get tested: You may take personality test before you even apply for job. The tests such as Myers-Briggs are used in the market to determine the fitness of your personality traits into the position. You may try to sell your personality type during the interview. This may impress some of the hiring executives and increase your chances to be hired. If company uses personality test as a criterion for hiring decision, you should develop strategies how to answer test questions. Use your common sense to provide answers.
C- You can also obtain detailed information about the success of the company and show that you know a lot about the company and its market. Just conduct a simple research using internet search engines. It would be helpful.
D- Try to establish an informality (rapport) with the interviewer. It won’t hurt to talk about air and water. You may suddenly turn a professional interview to human event. Most hiring executives make hiring decision during the first minute of the interview. Use the first minute to do your best.
E- Do not bring up salary issues unless or until the interviewer does so. It is not a good idea to negotiate salary or wages unless the interviewer stresses the issue. You may collect information about how much is paid for your credentials and the position in the work area by using sites such as www.salary.com or www.hotjobs.yahoo.com to have an advanced knowledge about what kind of salary range you should be looking at. Please keep in mind that most employers price the work not you. If your qualifications are above average, it may differ a few thousand dollars unless if you have extraordinary credentials and your skills are highly demanded.

As a conclusion, finding a job is a job itself. It requires diligence and luck. More importantly, you need to be aware of the hidden facts that influence the process of getting a job and act accordingly to improve chances.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbasecamp.com

Studies conducted by the author between 2005-2007 amoung 572 job applicants in 14 states. Qualitative methodology is used for the research...

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