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Essentials for the Job Search
By Sarah K. Holland
October 25, 2004
With today’s job market
being what it is (somewhat non-existent), we need every possible hint to help us
land the perfect position. While God promises to reward the faithful, it’s
awfully difficult to make your resume jump from the stack if you’ve not bothered
to submit one. Here are the six essentials for the professional job search.
A Personal Resume
While your resume
should contain all the basics—education, experience, and employment—that can be
slightly modified to fit the position for which you are applying, make sure to
include information that makes you stand out from the pack. For instance: spent
time traveling in Europe? Include it! In charge of organizing a young men’s
camping trip for your youth department? Make sure that makes it in. Getting
the interview is the hardest part; if your resume doesn’t make you different
from the rest, it’ll land in a pile, or worse, the round file.
A Quality Resume
Should you bother
with buying the expensive resume paper? Absolutely! You are showing your
future employer that you want this job and you will do what it takes to acquire
the position. Don’t go cheap here, as employers start weeding out applicants
immediately.
Once your qualifications
are spelled out on paper, make sure to check for errors. No one cares who you
are or what you’ve done if your resume is full of mistakes. Take your resume to
a trusted friend or family member and ask them to look it over for errors. The
fastest way to demonstrate that you don’t really care for the position is to
have spelling, punctuation, or grammatical mistakes in your resume.
Research the Position
Most companies
are now including job descriptions and needed qualifications along with the job
posting on their website. Read carefully over this description and make sure
you actually hold the needed qualifications or education to receive the
position. If you don’t, then do not bother applying, or you will simply waste
that expensive resume paper. Also, research the company, know what you like
about them, and find real reasons why you would like to work there. These bits
of information will become incredibly handy once you are called for an
interview.
A Clearly Stated
Objective in your Cover Letter
If you do match
the requested qualifications, sit down immediately and type out a cover letter.
This letter should be formal letter style and printed on the same paper as your
resume. Address the letter to the contact person given in the job listing and
tell them exactly why they want to interview you. State where you saw the job
posting, why you want to work for their company (they are known for superb
technology or generous contributions to youth organizations), and why you are
qualified to do so. Be sure to state specific qualifications that you meet
which were listed in the job posting. Explain how you can be contacted for an
interview, and how during that meeting, you look forward to learning ways that
you might contribute to the success of their company.
Face to Face Contact
Armed with your
cover letter and resume, and dressed in a suit or other appropriate apparel (you
should always dress one level above what you would actually wear while working
the position for which you are applying), go to the job site and hand in the
envelope containing your letter and resume in person. (This may be the most
difficult step of the application process.) There is nothing more intimidating
than walking into an office and requesting the proper person (HR director or
other), and nothing more impressive to a future employer. This move allows your
face to become familiar to the employer, as well as demonstrates the needed
confidence.
Prayer
Lastly, though
this should have been first, pray, pray, pray, before you ever fill out the
paperwork. My request to God is that He not allow me to be offered positions
that He does not want me to have. I explain that in my limited human knowledge,
I may take a wrong position unknowingly. By giving the job search into God’s
hands, you can not only be confident of the ending, but also reside in His peace
which passes all understanding, as you wait for the calls to come in.
ninetyandnine.com
2004 © Sarah K.
Holland
---------
Sarah K. Holland
resides in
Pontiac, MI and she has taken enough classes on interviewing to have all the
answers, and yet no job. Now that’s ironic. |
