The thrust of this book is how to get job interviews in very difficult times and to not make mistakes that cause you to lose a potential job. If you get an interview whether a phone or physical interview, most of the time the job is there, and it is yours to lose. The candidate best prepared and the one who developed the best chemistry at the interview will be the applicant that the company does not want to lose to the competition.
What you need to ask yourself
This book is about the job seeker’s education, preparation, execution of finding jobs and getting interviews that result in job offers. A well executed job search and interviewing process will result in many more job offers than a shot gun approach of sending out resumes to just any company.
Do not take the task of getting a job in this current economy as a part time effort. It should be an 8-hour per day planned attack. [...]
Initial Steps
Develop a variety of standard resumes. One resume should be a reverse chronological one covering your past work experience. The other one might be a “transferable skills” based resume. Use these to always customize each resume for the job opening. Keep in your Word document file (database of files) all the different resumes you have developed since they will be the basis for each new resume. Chapter 5: Resume Content
Chapter # 2 Strategies for a Changing Economy
[...] Following the crowd and submitting resumes to just any job listing is a waste of time. Flooding the market with non-targeted resumes along with the other sheep will get you exhausted long before you are productive. [...]
Chapter # 5 Resume Content
[...] The standard resume formats consist of the following major headings:
Contact information
Introduction/Job objective/ Cover letter
Transferable skills – (Optional)
Education, Certificates
Work experiences
Awards (Optional)
Languages (Optional)
Computer and software skills
Standards (Optional)
Professional Societies
References
Keyword list [...]
Chapter # 7 Phone Interviewing with Hiring Person
[...] Preparation will help you answer the interview questions well enough so they will offer you a physical interview at the job location. You want to start building a rapport or chemistry with the interviewer as you answer the specific content/technical questions. The phone interviewer will ask you questions to better understand your specific capabilities, above and beyond what is on your resume. A good discussion between you and the interviewer is very important. The result of this interview is normally 10% chemistry and 90% factual or technical. If the interviewer feels good about you and your background, you will be asked to come in for the physical interview. [...]
Prepare for the phone interview
[...] Be ready to talk briefly about projects you have worked on, different jobs or positions in the current company that you have done and items directly related to the job description.
To assure complete and in-depth preparation for the interview you might want to review the questions in the Chapter 9: Questions to Prepare Your for the Physical Interview [...]
Chapter # 10 Physical Interview at the Company
The job is yours to lose. The most important aspect of a job hunt is how you handle the job interview. It starts when you set up the interview and when you drive into the company’s parking lot. The interview really does not end until you leave the premises. [...]
Chapter # 13 Negotiating a Salary
Most Human Resource (HR) departments will share the salary range for a position during their initial contact with the candidate. The company does not want to waste time on an impossible situation where the salary gap between the candidates’ desired and the company’s target salary will never be closed. If you will not accept a job where the salary targeted point is less than the midpoint, you should be looking for a different position. [...]
Chapter # 16 How People Lose at Job Hunting
[...] You will only consider a position that does not require relocation. Good jobs are left on the table because of a relocation issues. Relocation does not always mean selling a home and moving the whole family. Do not pass up a good position until the relocation terms are fully evaluated and negotiated. [...]
Tom Answers Your Questions
Submit your question and Tom may choose to answer it in the "It's Your Job to Lose" blog.
Chapter Clips
Chapter # 1 Introduction
The thrust of this book is how to get job interviews in very difficult times and to not make mistakes that cause you to lose a potential job. If you get an interview whether a phone or physical interview, most of the time the job is there, and it is yours to lose. The candidate best prepared and the one who developed the best chemistry at the interview will be the applicant that the company does not want to lose to the competition.
What you need to ask yourself
Initial Steps
Chapter # 2 Strategies for a Changing Economy
[...] Following the crowd and submitting resumes to just any job listing is a waste of time. Flooding the market with non-targeted resumes along with the other sheep will get you exhausted long before you are productive. [...]
Chapter # 5 Resume Content
[...] The standard resume formats consist of the following major headings:
Chapter # 7 Phone Interviewing with Hiring Person
[...] Preparation will help you answer the interview questions well enough so they will offer you a physical interview at the job location. You want to start building a rapport or chemistry with the interviewer as you answer the specific content/technical questions. The phone interviewer will ask you questions to better understand your specific capabilities, above and beyond what is on your resume. A good discussion between you and the interviewer is very important. The result of this interview is normally 10% chemistry and 90% factual or technical. If the interviewer feels good about you and your background, you will be asked to come in for the physical interview. [...]
Prepare for the phone interview
Chapter # 10 Physical Interview at the Company
The job is yours to lose. The most important aspect of a job hunt is how you handle the job interview. It starts when you set up the interview and when you drive into the company’s parking lot. The interview really does not end until you leave the premises. [...]
Chapter # 13 Negotiating a Salary
Most Human Resource (HR) departments will share the salary range for a position during their initial contact with the candidate. The company does not want to waste time on an impossible situation where the salary gap between the candidates’ desired and the company’s target salary will never be closed. If you will not accept a job where the salary targeted point is less than the midpoint, you should be looking for a different position. [...]
Chapter # 16 How People Lose at Job Hunting
[...] You will only consider a position that does not require relocation. Good jobs are left on the table because of a relocation issues. Relocation does not always mean selling a home and moving the whole family. Do not pass up a good position until the relocation terms are fully evaluated and negotiated. [...]