Essential tips commonly used by successful job hunters

By Pri Notowidigdo

JAKARTA (JP): Are you looking for a job? Or are you exploring opportunities to reposition yourself in the market?

Either way, you may want to consider these essential tips used by successful job hunters:

1. re-examine your attitude,

2. prepare a resume that attracts the reader's attention,

3. define your target area and

4. prepare for job interviews.

Re-examine your attitude

Try to sustain a positive attitude. Be creative and imaginative in order to be able to exploit new opportunities. The impossible becomes the possible, the improbable becomes probable.

Taking this attitude will prepare yourself to deal with the unknowns. At the end of the day, remember that you choose to be happy or you choose not to be happy. You are ultimately responsible for your own future.

Most importantly, be agile and flexible particularly as the certainty of uncertainty increases. Creating opportunities gets better results than simply waiting for opportunities.

While staying comfortable may provide the illusion of security, taking risks and seemingly being a little out of control enables you to explore the full range of the possible future.

In more practical terms, a positive attitude means focusing on three areas: namely competence or having skills and the capability it takes to do your work well; contribution or knowing how your competence can add value to the organization and its customers; and difference or knowing that what you contribute is important and can make a difference.

Resume preparation

Your resume has to attract the attention of the reader who should be the decisionmaker.

As an old hand in communications once advised me, apply the "AIDA" concept. What is AIDA? It stands for Attention Interest Desire Action; the four-step process to generate a meeting with your reader, a prospective employer.

How? Put yourself in his shoes and ask: What kind of resume would get your attention? What would kindle your interest if you were a business owner? What would make a person feel that he wants to meet you? What would influence him to eventually meet you for an interview? Sounds too good to be true? Not really.

First of all, strengthen the content and presentation by improving these eight areas:

* Position the title and job description -- Provide the title of each job you have had, briefly outline your objective for each position, and state one to three measurable achievements;

* Detail -- Point out some of the challenges you have faced successfully in your professional life;

* Dates and places -- Either be specific about where and when you worked or omit ambiguous circumstances;

* Relevance -- Focus on highlighting those aspects of your background which are relevant to the prospective employer's business needs, not yours;

* Clarity -- Don't assume that the reader knows what you know. For example, when you refer to McDonald's, are you referring to the fast food restaurant or to McDonald's Construction?;

* Length -- As a writer once told me, keep it to a "kiss", and I don't mean a kiss on the cheek, but that it is short and simple. Keep your resume to no more than two pages because it normally gets only seven seconds of the reader's attention on first glance. And do not forget that the purpose of the initial resume is to generate an interview;

* Spelling, grammar, and punctuation -- Make sure that your document has no grammatical or spelling errors. First impressions count! Use a spell-check or have someone else proofread your document, especially if English is not your first language; and

* Readability -- The "kiss" principle applies here again. Organize your thoughts in a clear and concise manner which makes it pleasant to read.

Identify the target

Advertisements are helpful in finding a job and provide a useful barometer of market demand. But also remember that the advertisements in the newspaper represent only the tip of the iceberg of potential opportunities available to you in the market.

Consider these other sources:

* Electronic job listings, unlike classified advertisements, tend to be more highly descriptive of both the job and the hiring company, for example, ADNET, PRODIGY, Genie, Compuserve and America Online. You can also register with "headhunters" on-line like careers.wsj.com, www.fortune.careermosaic.com, futurestep.com, www.headhunter.net, www.moster.com, www.peoplescape.com.

* Industry and professional journals, trade magazines, and newsletters often run job ads and furnish information that is of particular interest to their readership.

* Think like a headhunter, and research and target those companies you would be interested in working for. You would be surprised at how many candidates I have talked to who have no idea of the number of companies in their field. These are all potential job opportunities. Select which ones interest you and write directly.

* Use your network of professional associates, family members, and friends to get market information, tips and prospective job leads.

Winning interviews

The success of any job interview will depend on your ability to figure out the employer's business needs and empathize with the interviewer. Ask questions that verify your understanding of what the interviewer says to you, without expressing an opinion. Besides empathy, four other requirements for a successful interview are:

* Enthusiasm -- Show your interest in the job, the company and its products or services;

* Confidence -- Do not appear arrogant or overly confident. But do show that you are comfortable with your skills, knowledge, and experience;

* A focused orientation -- Be relaxed but not overly relaxed. Do not talk too much. Let the interviewer lead the way but be responsive.

Interviewing involves the exchange of concrete information and feelings. Present your background clearly and thoroughly.

Get background information about the company, the industry, the position and the specific opportunity.

Relate your goals, interests and values with what you believe reflect the company's.

The company's website is a good start. Your goal should be to make a persuasive presentation on how the company can benefit from hiring you based on how you have built a rapport with the interviewer and from asking the right questions.

If you follow the above essential tips when seeking a job, you will likely be in a good position to choose the job of your choice.

Good hunting and good luck!

The writer is a managing partner of Amrop International, a member firm of The Amrop Hever Group - Global Executive Search.