Landing a job

If you are looking for a new job then there are a lot of different ways you can go about looking for work. Here are a few of the ways that have been most successful for me:

1) Local paper - if you are looking for a local job then the local paper might be the best place to find something that is near to your home. However it isn't the best place to find specialist jobs. Usually they are more manual jobs or cleaning rather than skilled ones.

2) Job Agencies -

Agencies can vary a lot from ones that offer temporary work in local offices and factories, to ones that offer short term contracts for skilled workers, to others that will find permanent work.

If you give your CV to these agencies they will find you an appropriate job. Some will also require you sit a series of tests depending on the type of work they find for you. With an agency it is worth keeping in regular contact with them to make sure that they know you are still available for work.

3) Approaching firms directly - If there is a particular company you want to work with, or a skill that is rare in your industry, then it could be worth sending your CV or resume to a human resources department of a company to see whether they would be interested in employing someone with your skills.

Obviously this will only work if you have a sought after skill and are able to sell yourself well.

4) Looking on the Internet - There are lots of job sites online now where you can submit your CV or browse for jobs. Some of these sites will bring together jobs that are advertised on lots of other places too so you can save yourself a lot of time with your job hunting by searching this way.

Every job interview is important. It's the determining factor to whether or not you'll get your dream job. As such, we have lined up some tips to help you overcome your worries and ace that job interview.

Be at your best

To be successful in any job interview, you have to look your best. Keep in mind that physical appearance is very important. How you carry yourself will establish the interviewer's first impression of you.

At the very least, one should always keep himself or herself clean. Take a bath and wear your best corporate attire. Ladies should also dust some make up on. The key is to go for a professional look.

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In a job interview, every applicant should know and understand the requirements of the job. This will help them respond to the questions and relate it to what they can do, what they did in their previous work and what the job entails.

In short, it's important not to appear ignorant. Express your thoughts clearly and present yourself as smart and responsible to make the interviewer think that you are the best candidate for the job.

Prepare for the questions

Almost all the time, interviewers will ask you to give a background about yourself. This is that part of the job interview where you are given a chance to show the type of worker you are. Prepare a clear cut evaluation of yourself and stress your strong points.

It would also be good to mention your weaknesses but make sure that you include examples of your former experiences and what you have learned in the past years that will make you suitable for the job.

Don't end the job interview without mentioning your long term goals. Interviewers would surely want to know about these things to have an idea of the career path you wish to take.

Remember to mention that you want to improve on your current skills and that you want to advance your career and be part of a great organization.

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. Interviewers will be more likely to hire an applicant that engages them in a conversation. Besides, you wouldn't want the interview to be a silent, one-way affair.

Ask about the career path in the position you're applying for. What's next after you get your foot in the door? What new set of responsibilities will you take on as you progress in your job?

Let them know you're interested in investing your time, energy and dedication in the organization. Your enthusiasm to make a difference (as opposed to just showing up for work) will be an influential factor to hiring you.

Click the link for a larger list of common Job interview questions.

In the professional world, first impressions last. The better prepared you are, the greater chance you have of giving the impression that you're someone who has it together.

An interview for a job is not only presenting skills and experience required for the job, but a chance to impress a potential employer through appearance. The rules are not universal, and an interviewee should always wear the best clothing to feel confident and comfortable.

Proper dress can relay confidence, success, and professionalism. When women are dressing for an interview, they should aim for a conservative, professional look. Solid colors work well during interviews and are no-nonsense. Proper clothing for women during an interview include a skirted suit and a solid blouse. Women may wear high heels, but they should be solid in color and moderate in height. Women should also keep a professional aesthetic overall by wearing a maximum of two pieces of jewellery, and light makeup. The hair should be styled in a professional manner that is flattering to the individual.

When it comes to interview wear for a man, the proper attire depends on the level of formality in the workplace they are aspiring to be in. Traditionally in a more formal environment men will be expected to wear a conservative suit with a blazer. In a more relaxed work environment, it is commonly acceptable for a man to wear a long sleeve white button-up and slacks. Men should wear dress shoes that are polished.

Personal hygiene is also an important part of an interview. Hair should be groomed, and hands should be clean and manicured. If cologne or perfume is worn, it should be light.

If still uncertain about what to wear to a job interview, information on how the company prefers interviewees to be dressed can usually be obtained from human resources. Some companies have interviews that last all day or can involve a lot of walking or movement, so they prefer their interviewees to wear comfortable attire.

The bottom line to this is, to really do amazingly well in a Job interview you need some real self confidence, take these situations below into account and hopefully you will agree:

Ever wondered why that person sitting at the table next to you in a restaurant can easily get the waiter's attention, while you, believing you used the same gesture and called the waiter with a voice as loud as his, gets ignored? Or why people easily gravitate towards that other woman at the party instead of you who perhaps is way more attractive than her and is even better-dressed? Why can other people easily speak in front of a crowd without their voice and knees shaking and their palms sweating like yours do? Ever wonder why other people can have so much self-confidence while you don't?

It's all in the mind. As the great philosopher Rene Descartes' claimed, "I think therefore I am." That's right: you think, therefore you are. Simply put, you think you have self-confidence? Then you do. You think you don't have self-confidence? Then you don't.

In his mind, the person with confidence at the restaurant is simply thinking, "I want to order something and I need the waiter." With that in his mind, his body simply obeys - his movements are bigger therefore more noticeable and his voice makes a stronger presence. While you may have been thinking, "I want to order something and I need the waiter. But I don't think I'm dressed well tonight, what will everybody think when they look at me? There are so many people in here, and I have a funny voice, people might hear it when I call the waiter." And so your body obeys, your body cringes in its effort to make itself less conspicuous and your vocal chords tense up, limiting the volume of the sound that comes out.

Having self-confidence is simply the ability to focus one's mind on what is positive, on what will make you feel good or achieve your desires. You can direct your attention to your funny voice and what people may think when they hear it, or you can focus on the fact that when you get the waiter's attention, you will be able to order what you want and enjoy it. While you may admit to yourself that you are not really a good speaker, but you can focus on how good what you have to say is, and you'll be amazed at how your body, your whole being will follow what's in your mind.

And that's why we smile at a nice memory, maybe shed tears at sad one, or salivate at the thought of your favourite dish, or blush at the thought of something embarrassing - the thoughts are so real in our mind that our body simply reacts accordingly, no matter how hard we try to do otherwise.

True, having self-confidence, just like being tall, beautiful, having a beautiful singing voice, is a gift. The only difference is that unlike the others, you don't necessarily have to be born with self-confidence, it's a gift you can actually give to yourself.

With all that said I think you can understand where I am coming from and how having self confidence can seriously improve your chances of passing the job interview and landing the job? The more self confidence you have the more people will believe in you, like someone once said "You need to believe in yourself for others to be able to believe in you".

As far as applying for a job goes it is not how well-dressed you are, or your beguiling smile or your wit that makes the first impression: it is your cover letter. A well-written one determines whether your prospective employer would flip the page and take a look at your impressive curriculum vitae and eventually invite your for an interview. On the other hand, a poorly executed cover letter only guarantees that you will never get to take that next step.

And since first impressions do matter, you must not take the appearance of your cover letter for granted. Perhaps hundreds of other applicants went to the same office supplies store and grabbed the first envelope or bond paper on the shelf. So make that extra effort to find the perfect envelope or paper. We are not talking scented, colorful paper here, you simply want your cover letter to stand out - perhaps cream-colored paper instead of plain white, or an envelope with a different texture.

Next, remember that your cover letter should tell your prospective employer that you are writing to them personally, so avoid using phrases such as "to whom it may concern" or opening with a generic "Dear Ma'am/Sir." You don't want them to think that you're too lazy to even find out whom to address your cover letter to, or give the impression that they are but one of hundreds you sent the same letter to.

It's time to write your cover letter. You must have heard that in show business, you're only as good as your last performance. Well, in writing, you're only as good as your last sentence or paragraph. You've caught they're attention with your carefully chosen envelope and paper and you've made them feel special by giving the impression that your cover letter was prepared just for them: you must now sustain that interest and special feeling with the content of your letter. Every sentence must make them want to go on reading.

You start with who you are and why you're writing. Then tell them why you want the job and why you're perfect for it. Don't go overboard though with details about your education and past work experiences - you have your CV for that. But do make them want to read your CV by highlighting certain details in it in your cover letter.

You will not impress them with long, complicated words - you will only tire your reader out (besides, you don't want your prospective boss to feel inferior by forcing them to reach for a dictionary to understand your letter). Keep it real, simple, and be yourself. Remember that if done well, your cover letter may just land you an interview and you don't want them to see how different your letter was from how you really speak.

Lastly, spell check. Go over your letter to check for grammatical errors, and then spell check again.

Click the link for more information on how to write a cover letter.

There is another option Instead of getting a regular job, you can always start a business.

To start a business you have to have the right mind, you have to be driven, motivated and determined to succeed. You also have to understand a lot of business do not make it through the first 3 years of trading.

You also need to make sure you have the capital (money) to start a business, other then raising capital you will also need to be fairly flexible, some business do not make a profit for a year or more, it will be best to be debt free and not have many outgoing bills during this time until your business starts to turn over a profit.

If you have a good idea and the right midst however starting a business can be a great road to go down. It will teach you many lessons in life which you will not be able to learn any other way.

The main types of business are:

Retail: If you believe there is a gap in the market in the town you live in then a retail shop could be a great way to go, they are also easily scalable if you have success with your first shop.

Service: A service side business involves providing a service to someone or another business this can be anything from window cleaning to content writing.

Online: New online businesses are cropping up every day, these can either be retail (e-commerce), Service or advertising.

Pros of starting a business

You will be your own boss

You have the potential to make huge amounts of money without being restricted by other people

The future is in your hands

You will be helping your local community by providing more jobs and income

You could have a whole new world open up to you

Cons of starting a business

It can be a very risky venture

You may lose a lot of money to receive little back if your business fails

It can take over a year to see any profit

There is a lot of work involved at least until your business is off the ground

You will have to learn a lot of skills and it involves a lot of trial and error

Starting a business can be very very stressful, especially if you have taken risks to start it like leaving your day job.

You may also have many doubters who will not believe in you at the beginning, these may even be family members who do not want to see you fail, but if you believe in yourself and your business idea then nothing should stop you. In-fact having doubters can help you by pushing you harder to prove them wrong.