Today’s jobhunters must brush up on their interview skills, network and wear business suits.

During the heyday of the “new economy”, when there was a massive skills shortage, job hunting took little effort. With unemployment at record lows and desperate firms wooing candidates with sky-high salaries and ridiculous perks, almost anyone could find a job. Now, with almost daily news of redundancies and layoffs, job-search basics – from pounding the pavement to wearing a business suit – are back in fashion.

If jobseekers want to get hired in the new climate where competition is a little stiffer, they better go back to the Interview Suit of the 1980s. When the dot-com bubble began to deflate last year, the moment seemed right for a return to formal business dress. The logic: Laid-off workers would be interviewing again, and those who had held on to their jobs would start dressing better, if only out of fear. Polls also claim that dressing up makes employees more motivated and productive.

When people think of burnout, they tend to think of overworked employees, but those putting in long hours on the job hunt also may be affected.

Weary candidates often suffer the same problems as overwhelmed workers, including reduced productivity and morale, says Career Expert Tracey Turner.

“It continues to be a very challenging time for job seekers, some of whom have spent many months looking for new opportunities,” says Turner. “Switching gears and exploring different career avenues can help the unemployed re-energise and identify new leads.”

“Jobseekers don’t have to dramatically alter their strategies to be effective. For example, volunteering one or two days a week with a nonprofit isn’t a big change, but it could have a major impact if the candidate acquires a new skill or meets someone along the way who can help him or her professionally.”

Turner offers the following ideas for jump-starting a job search:

Say hello to Interview invitations not to instant rejection with the following great tips.

1 Email blunders

With the advent of e-mail, applicants rarely give thought to covering letters anymore. “Please find my CV attached” is not a convincing enough reason for the employer to consider you. The cover letter is your first sales pitch to a potential employer. A good one introduces you to the employer and explains why you are one of the best candidates applying for the job.

Another quite common technical blunder when sending your CV by e-mail is not attaching your CV, especially if you’ve ranted on about your IT skills.

2 Know what the recruiter wants

Every employer has a preferred method of application, so it is up to you to find out which one to use when submitting your job application. For example,

Although it’s becoming more common, cold calling is one of the most daunting tasks of the job search. Here are some tips for surviving the cold call.

Although cold calling is an acceptable and occasionally effective way to land a new job, it can be one of the most daunting tasks of a job search. Cold calling, or contacting people you’ve never met, puts the pressure on you to make a good and quick first impression.

The key to cold calling is being prepared - for anything. Because you’re making an unannounced inquiry, you should expect almost anything in response from outright rejection to open arms.

Telephone Cold Calling - Tips and Techniques

Talk to the right person at the right time. Ensure that you ask for the person responsible for hiring. Ideally you should know this person’s name so you can ask to speak with him or her directly. In addition, be aware that certain businesses have busy times when they would not appreciate a phone call.

Although the companies aren’t advertising, your aim is to search out jobs likely to become available before they reach the normal outlets.

A speculative letter can be sent to any company or employer that:

Provides potential for you to gainfully apply your knowledge, skills and experience

May be interested in your expertise

Is a company that you would like to work with

Is compatible with your career objectives

Selecting target companies is based on research and your knowledge of the industry or profession. Success in finding a new job is directly related to:

The number of connections made

The accuracy with which they are targeted

Researching contacts:

Prepare a list of possible contacts.

Organisations for instance:

Whose annual report signals expansion to which your skills are closely related

Where friends and colleagues have suggested there could be suitable vacancies

It seems everyone wants to do it: Work from home, that is. Whether it’s being able to work in their pajamas, or getting to spend some extra time with their children, something is prompting people to consider giving up their day job to look for this “alternative” form of employment. The only problem seems to be actually finding a work-from-home job! Where are these companies that have openings for telecommuters? In the paragraphs that follow, you will learn how to research and find home-based employment.

SCAMS
The first thing to be aware of is scams, such as when a person or company poses as an employment firm, yet requires you to pay X amount of money in order for you to be placed. Or, a company claims to be a hiring company, but requires you to pay X amount of money in order to
“process your application”.

A year into your new job and you’ve seen it happen all around you - job hopping - as shifts and changes have become part of the landscape at work. You too begin to ponder; maybe it’s your turn to move on… But, wait! Do you really have to?

The credentials are right, you are a marketing professional with a management degree, and two years plus experience in multinational. That’s reason enough for people to make offers, for a placement co-ordinator to call, or for the advertisements in your daily newspaper to invite your attention, for jobsites ‘sms-ing’ you details of new job listings and make you think again. But before you go decide about that move to shift from your present job, the question to ask yourself – Is there anything unique which I know or have done which very few people have done or know?

Remember back in grade school when the teacher asked you to hold hands with a friend on field trips? The idea behind the buddy system is that it’s much harder to get lost if there are two of you traveling together. When you get into trouble, your buddy can help you out, or find someone else who can.

Maybe you could use a buddy in your job search. The constant challenges you encounter while seeking out job opportunities and going on interviews make job-seeking a difficult road to travel all alone, and it’s easy to get lost. Teaming up with a job search buddy can give you:

Perspective - A different point of view on your progress or challenges. Just hearing your problem restated by another person can give you new insight that will help you find a solution.

Do you want to change your job but don’t know the right way to go about it? Are you vacillating between waiting for your dream job or accepting the first one that comes your way? Or are you a fresher falling in line with what your parents wish you to be rather than what you wish to be? If this is the kind of situation you find yourself in, then the next few minutes will help you get a clearer picture. Here is our bowl of chicken soup for the job seeker’s soul. Read on…

Searching for a job today is almost a job in itself because you are spending so much of your time and effort on it. Enthusiasm, excitement, anxiety, frustration and depression-all these are phases one encounters during a job search. The key point is to take this phase positively and persevere till you get that pot of gold at the end of your job search rainbow- your dream job. In today’s cut-throat working environment, looking for a job is not just about working hard but about working Smart.