If your job search is not moving on to the next level, there are a few things you can evaluate.

Your cover letter is the first an employer looks at, even before a resume. It’s your best chance at making a good impression. If you aren’t receiving any calls, it’s time to revise the cover letter. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience, this is your opportunity to shine.

The cover letter should be no longer than two to three paragraphs and should outline why you want the job, why you’d be great at the job, and a summary of your years of experience. It may be that your cover letter isn’t long enough or doesn’t divulge enough information. After revising your cover letter, do a Google search for resume templates and upload some new ones, free of formatting. It’s always a good idea to change up your resume if you haven’t received any responses during your job search. Make sure all the appropriate key words related to your job are found in your resume. After revising both the cover letter and resume, take a second look at your job search approach. Are your applying to several different jobs a day? Are you looking at other industries? Are you willing to change your salary requirements or possibly look at relocation?

It’s important to remain flexible during your job search. You may need to consider things you previously would not have thought possible. For example if you are applying for nursing jobs in Raleigh, North Carolina, but you haven’t gotten any interviews, it may be time to look at other cities. If your job search is discouraging you, it may be time to give yourself a break. Take a couple days off to think about why this is the career you chose and remind yourself that you’ll get there soon.

Volunteering is a great way to keep your resume updated and yourself motivated. There are usually dozens of non-profit organizations that could use a helping hand. Whether you like working with animals or you enjoy assisting the elderly, there is something available for you. Employers think highly of volunteer experience. If after several weeks you still are not receiving any phone calls, it may be time to think about furthering your education. Are there any classes you can take or certifications that will improve your appeal to employers? Check your local employment office or university for details. The town community center or library are other places that may offer job search assistance.

Friends and former colleagues are two more resources that can be useful during your job search. Ask your former colleagues for job search recommendations, advice, and direction. At one point in their life they were in your shoes. Many people are willing to help. Social media and the Internet can be useful for job search support. There are many online forums that will help you with interview tips, dress code suggestions, and application tips. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter all offer great job search tools to guide you along the way. The Internet provides a wealth of information to keep you on track.

There are a number of different kinds of job search websites that you will find online, from those that let you list your resume for free, to those that charge you for having them shop your resume around. The type of website you use to get a job will likely depend on the field you are working in, how high up the corporate ladder you expect to be, and whether or not the career or job you are seeking is industry driven.

How Are People Finding Jobs?

It is currently estimated that one in 10 people will find their next job online. That could be because they are looking through job search websites such as Monster.com or Craigslist.com, or because they find an opening on a company’s website. Although that is a remarkably high percentage, it is even more important to understand that nine in 10 people don’t find their job online, so you can’t avoid increasing your network.

Most people who are looking for mid-range (approximately $50,000 per year) jobs tend to spend more than half their time looking for jobs and applying for them. While this is something that is relatively easy to do, job search websites are often out of date and the jobs you are applying for may have been filled a long time ago. There are indeed better ways to utilize your time if you are willing to put a little more work into your job search.

How Else Can You Find a Job?

In addition to using job search websites, you should also spend more of your time networking with people who could find you a job. You can do this by using a service such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or some of the other social media networks. This often requires a little more work, but the quality of job leads that you will get from contacts is almost always much better than applying for a simple listing for a job that you see online.

Improve Your Chances?

Did you know that four out of five employers will do a search for you online when they are going through the application process? Employers find this to be an easy way to weed out people who have clear issues, so it is a good time to look through your own Google results. Feel free to Google your own name and see what comes up. If it is a lot of negative or suspect information, then you might want to spend some time cleaning up your online reputation before you hit the job search websites.

Executive search firms work to help employers connect with employees. They operate over a wide area so that the people who are best fitted to any certain job can be linked up with the companies that need those positions to be filled. They act as a middleman to bring the two together. These firms were set up because companies felt that it was hard for them to find the people that they really wanted to hire. They never had trouble finding workers, but many of them felt that there were betters workers out there.

Why Is This Needed? A firm is needed because companies do not have the time to search for new employees on their own. This is something that simply takes quite lot of time and resources. The owners of these companies need to spend their time making money and helping their businesses to be the best that they can be. They do not have the ability to spend hours every day trying to find the employees who really fit what they need. At the same time, they do want to find these employees so that their companies can work more efficiently and make more money in the long run.

How Do They Work? Most of the time, these firms will use the internet. This is a great networking tool, so they use it as a way to bring together a list of prospective employees and a list of companies with openings. They then use the tools at their disposal to line those two sides up so that they fit together. They look at company needs and employee profiles and make an educated decision on who should work in what occupation.

After the executive search firm has created a match, an interview will still need to take place. The job is not set in stone. The company will probably ask for multiple referrals, and they will then interview all of the different people who are interested in the position before they make a decision. They may even interview other people that they have managed to find on their own. This is not a concrete way to fill any position, but it guarantees that companies do not waste their time talking to people who are not qualified.

One Last Note. It is very important, if you are thinking about working with an executive search firm to help you find a job, that you remember that they are in the employ of the companies. These companies have hired them and tasked them with finding the best employees that exist. If you fit that mold, they will be more than happy to refer you. If you do not, however, they are not going to want to work with you. They are not going to go out of their way to get you a job. These are very useful firms for businesses and employees to work with, but prospective employees need to realize how they operate so that their expectations are correct.

OXeNHaM are a talent management and executive search firm with global reach. They have over 100 years of multidisciplinary business experience. They understand the future of the organization is shaped by its people and that finding the right fit can make the difference between success and failure. They work with organizations across diverse industries in local and international markets in private, public and not-for-profit sectors to provide one-of-a-kind talent search solutions.

Psychometric Tests

In the current job market, being invited to a job interview almost always entails taking psychometric tests. The two main elements in psychometric testing consist of – personality tests and aptitude (IQ) tests.

Personality Tests

Personality tests are the most mystifying element of the selection process. Most people don’t know much about them.

One of the main reason personality tests are used is that they provide insight that is often lacking in the interview process. Unlike the interview, personality tests are both more objective and more resilient to the assessors’ biases. This is a clear advantage for you, the test-taker. It means that you’ll face the personality test without any judgmental bias from others.

Bad Advice: “Just Be Yourself”.

The worst advice you’ll ever get before taking a personality test is,

“On the day of the test, just be yourself”.

It assumes that if job candidates behave as they normally do during the job selection process, it will increase their chances of success. According to this philosophy, if you’re generally a shy person you should be shy during the job interview and selection tests, and if you’re impulsive by nature you should answer impulsively on the test.

Our day-to-day behavior is strongly influenced by the situation we’re in. The nature of the situation influences our stress level, which in turn has an impact on our behavior. For example, you can be intolerant in one stressful situation but courteous in another. Which side of your personality do you want to show on the test?

Our experience at Job Test Prep, gained from preparing thousands of job applicants tells us that the recommendation to “just be your self” is potentially harmful. On the day of the test you should emphasize your strengths, not your weaknesses. A spontaneous “natural” response is not necessarily the best one, neither in life nor on a selection test. For example, if your boss has treated you rudely at work, telling him or her off would likely be a foolish mistake that might cost you your job. It’s usually best to swallow the insult, cool down and approach the situation in a more rational manner later on.

The rule is the same during a selection test – do the smart thing and be calculated.

Be honest but sensible.

Imagine that the personality test was a conversation with your boss: would you tell him/her everything about your personal life? The personality test is not the forum to mention hidden fears, doubts or occasional mood swings. In the personality test you should express honest, work-related behavior. Ultimately, that’s the only thing the assessors are really interested in.

During the test you need to be calculated, focused and determined to do well. Be honest, but be sensible.

Learn, practice and familiarize your self with personality tests – the more you know the better your chances of success!

Aptitude Tests

Aptitude tests fall into three broad skill categories: verbal, numerical and abstract (or diagrammatic). Additional skills are assessed in specific fields and for specific positions.

Can we develop our aptitude skills?

Some academics argue that it’s impossible to prepare for abstract reasoning tests because they are based on innate abilities. This is not something that should be accepted at face value.

Your chances of doing well on any test increase if you:

- are familiar with the test format and type of questions asked.

- practice solving aptitude questions.

- improve your verbal and numerical skills – your crystallized intelligence.

- learn the key rules that underpin each test, and practice effective strategies for dealing with specific question types.

There are over a thousand different aptitude tests on the market. However, because there are only a few major publishers that develop these tests, while they may vary slightly in format and in appearance there is very little variation in the types of questions. When you prepare for these tests you should focus on the essence, format and type of questions on the test. It would be a waste of your precious time to concentrate on a specific set of questions. Even if you ended up taking the same test that you prepared for, the questions would likely be different and only the format the same.

You have the ability to improve your performance dramatically. Our experience at Job Test Prep has taught us that 80% of the people who practice thoroughly pass the selection process. On the other hand, only 15% of those who come unprepared complete the selection process successfully.

The key to success is in your hands. With enough practice, you should feel confident and relaxed on the day of the test.

Psychometric Advantage Testing provides a resource base from which you can find the right providers for psychometric tests and testing services, authoritative advice on how to complete a psychometric test, and a growing knowledge base that you can refer to to find out more about this powerful job-matching tool.

If you are thinking of a career change or if you are trying to lay out a tangible career plan for yourself, there are several important things to consider.

Step One – Self Assessment

Self-Assessment is an important first step in considering where you are currently and discovering what direction you would like to go in the future. Some questions you might ask yourself include:

* What are my interests and aptitudes?
* What are my strengths and weaknesses?
* What are my major personality traits?
* Do I have areas of interest outside my current field?

Step Two – Consider Career Assessment Testing

Have you ever considered taking a Career Assessment Test? There are many of these tests available on the Internet that can be easily accessed and completed free of charge. This can be a great starting point to help you discover areas of interest that you might not have considered before.

Step Three – Set Goals and Objectives

It is also important to discover your goals and objectives for the future. Not only do you need to think about where you are in your current career, but also where you want to go, and how, when, and where you would like to advance in the future. In considering your own goals and objectives, some possible questions to consider are these:

* Where am I in my current career?
* What are the possibilities for advancement?
* Do I want to remain in the field I am currently in, or would I really like to pursue something of greater interest?
* Is there something else I’ve always really wanted to do?
* If I remain in the same area, what steps will I need to take for advancement?
* Are there credentials or certifications that would be helpful?
* Do I need to upgrade my degree to a higher level?
* Do I need to earn a degree in a completely different field?

Step Four – Make a List of Possibilities

Making a list of all the possibilities that you are interested in considering is another helpful exercise. Start by listing all the jobs you might be interested in pursuing. If you have no qualifications in your areas of interest, think about what your options are for obtaining them. Can you attend classes locally or would online learning be a better choice for you? Many times your current family and work responsibilities weigh heavily on the choice for the convenience of online learning.

Step Five – Research Your Favorite Careers

After you have a list of possible interesting careers, choose your favorites and begin researching them. There is, of course, a wealth of knowledge on the Internet, but another great avenue is to talk to people who currently work in the field in which you are interested. You can also consider making an appointment with a career counselor at a local college or community college for assistance. Your local library is always an option — peruse the library’s collection of career guide books. Researching should give you a better perspective and understanding of the careers that interest you and what steps you will need to take in order to pursue a new career.

Step Six – Narrow Your Choices

Once the research phase is complete, you must narrow your choices down and consider the pros and cons of each one. This will help you to make specific choices that you can begin to pursue.

Step Seven – Determine Educational Requirements

Once you make the choice, it is time to begin seriously considering the education options available to you. Begin by discovering what type of major is associated with the field and consider whether a minor would be beneficial in any way. Many careers do not require a degree; you can get into certain fields with certificates or diplomas. Once you establish yourself in the area of interest, you can continue to upgrade your credentials with certifications and even earn a degree online while you continue your work.

As staffing demands are fluid, flexible and dependent upon an organisations current skill levels, workloads and financial health, few companies have any call for a permanent, ongoing recruitment division. Instead, by and large this process or some aspects of it at the very least are outsourced to a different company within what’s known as the recruitment industry.

The simplest and most traditional type of recruitment services company is the job board. Today, these are often found online but to a great extent even these sites are simply a more complex version of the traditional classified ad. Member companies pay a small fee to have job vacancies listed on the sites, which jobseekers can search for and often apply to through the website. One significant improvement though is that with an online job board, potential applicants can put their resumes or CVs online – changing the dynamic to one where the potential employer can contact the jobseeker with an offer if they see a resume they like.

Beyond this method of recruitment – mainly based upon the concept of “sourcing” vacancies to a potential audience of jobseekers – there’s the type of service that forms the core of the recruitment industry: the recruitment agency.

These businesses are based upon a model where they provide a candidate, or a pool of pre-screened candidates, to a client company seeking to make a new hiring in return for a price. Some agencies are paid only if the candidates stay beyond a probationary period; others are paid on a retainer to focus on the client’s recruitment needs, then paid a percentage of the candidates salary over time if they stay beyond the probationary period. Often, such as in the case of agencies which serve workers to temporary contracts (Temp Agencies) payment is given when a certain goal – such as the end of the contract or other such factors – is reached by the candidate for the client.

Another major section of the recruitment and staffing industry is the Headhunter. These are generally exclusively employed to find highly experienced and highly qualified candidates for executive level employment – or for workers who are in short supply and high demand. A more aggressive style of recruitment, this type of agency will often directly approach candidates and encourage them to attend interviews with their clients or even in some cases conduct such interviews themselves. This method works well in top-level recruitment in specialised fields, as a one-by-one approach can be much more effective in reaching a small number of people than a general advertisement – and particularly when those individuals may not be actively looking for employment opportunities.

We all know someone that may have graduated with a degree in a specific field, only to wind up doing something completely different. It is easy to be scanned in accepting the first job offer. But where will it lead?

If you are walking out the doors of a fine institution in a cap and gown hoping to be an art director, you will be very unpleasantly surprised. Regardless of how talented you are, you will have to pay your dues like everyone else. If you are in a current job and have aspirations to run the programs or start your own firm, you need to have a strategy as well.

If your desire is to be a creative genius, accept that first job only if there is some creative aspect to it. Even if it is miserable, you need some experience. Stay about a year, then think about your next move. Take all the creative tasks you did on that job and put them on your profile to get the next job and the next one and the next one.

You have to be smart in picking locations. Ask yourself, is this opportunity to build a block to where I want to go? Will there be recognizable company names on my resume? Am I showing continuing progress in my creative profession? The role of production, as an assistant designer role, designer role, senior designer role – they all build toward your ultimate goal.

Finally, don’t hesitate to find a mentor and ask what steps they took to get where they are. You’ll be surprised. Usually it involves a string of bad jobs and then the door opens and everything changes. Envision where you want to be and mark it with a flag. Then plan the road trip to get there.

Selecting the right career is never an easy matter. Career planning is a process that involves several steps, particularly when it is for a teen. Both universities and business organizations have designed programs for teenagers to assist them in identifying suitable options and making a right choice of career. Such guidance can be obtained by making a payment from a university, by a student as well as any member of the public. The guide can include a questionnaire and information about several careers. The questionnaire helps the person to narrow the choices based on several criteria. A program that has been designed well could also throw light on several career choices that the person may not have known about, effectively broadening his or her horizon. Also, as young people are not clear about the growth path of different careers, they also gain clarity on this issue.

Career counselors and teenage counselors have always said that young people and college students must select a career based on their own interest and skills, not due to pressure of family or peers or some image that may have of a particular career. Thus the so called ‘best’ careers may not always be the right choice. Career planning for teens is a process that will try to dissuade them from such a career unless it suits the individual for reasons mentioned earlier. So many websites and magazines may list hottest jobs, best jobs for collegiates and those with highest salary and perks. However, this is not the right way to decide upon a career and hot jobs should not become an automatic choice for a teen or a young job seeker.

The process of career planning for teens exists to make sure that they select the career path and college program that is best for them as an
individual. A lot of young believe, quite wrongly, that they will be stuck with the career choice that they make now, through out their life. Nothing could be more different. People change their career at several stages during their life. So, a career that is chosen now due to a college major or a training program can be changed later. However, career planning for teens goes a long way in ensuring that there is not much heart burn later.