The Century of the Job Seeker

Graduates: Create Your Own Job

by Ron McGowan

The biggest mistake graduates make in their search for employment is putting all their eggs in the traditional job basket. Their assumption is that someone will offer them a job, and when that doesn’t happen, they end up unemployed, or underemployed. They don’t understand that if the only option they give employers is to offer them a traditional job, they’re making it hard to hire them.

To succeed in today’s workplace, graduates must:

• Learn how to operate as freelancers or contractors. It’s not enough to be willing to do this; you have to learn how to do it effectively. Here’s an example of the world of freelancing: http://www.elance.com
• Learn how to find hidden employment opportunities. The majority of employment opportunities today are never advertised.
• Learn how to market themselves effectively. Graduates are often uncomfortable with this but their discomfort is based on ignorance of what it is all about. The good news is anyone can learn how to do it; it’s mostly common sense.
• Learn how to create marketing tools beyond the the resume/CV that are focused on the needs of the employer they’re contacting.
• Understand the role of the Internet and Social Media tools in finding employment opportunities and in creating an online presence that will attract employers and recruiters. A good resource for this is: http://www.bradanddeb.com/works.htm.
• Create a LinkedIn account. Spend as much time doing this as you would creating your resume/CV. In today’s world, it’s just as important.

For graduates who are interested in starting a small business, thanks to the Internet and modern communications tools, it’s easier to do this than it ever has been. Today, you can operate a business from your Smartphone and it doesn’t matter if you’re doing it from your living room, or your local Starbucks.

So graduates, stop shortchanging yourselves by settling for low paying jobs in the service sector, or unpaid internships. Take a position that you’re going to find paid employment in your field, just like millions of your peers around the world are already doing. It’s largely a matter of believing in yourself and refusing to accept anything less.

Ron McGowan is the author of the international bestseller “How to Find WORK – In the 21st Century”, currently in use at hundreds of colleges and universities worldwide. The 2013 edition has just been released by Thames River Press.

Top Tips for 2012 Graduates To Find Jobs

Clean up your online presence.
The first thing employers will do is to see what they can find out about you on the Internet. Are you ready for that? They may look at your Facebook page during the interview. Are you ready for that?

Look for WORK, not a JOB.

Don’t scare off employers by communicating that you’re looking for a job and all the traditional benefits that go with it. Make it easy for them to hire you by making it clear that you are happy to accept part-time, temporary, or contract work. If you are equipped to work from home, tell them that too. It may appeal to them.

Ditch the resume.

EVERYBODY is using a resume. In your initial contact with employers, make yourself stand out in a positive way with more creative tools that are marketing oriented and focused on the employer’s needs. It’s OK to have a resume to take to the interview. But first you have to get there.

Think.

Put yourself in the shoes of any employer you plan to contact. Why would they be interested in you? What exactly do you have to offer them? Show them in your first contact with them that you know about them, the type of work they do and the industry they’re in. NEVER send out lots of resumes in a shotgun fashion.

Why should we hire you?

Assume you’ll be asked this question during the interview and be ready to answer it. Focus on the key points you made in the material you sent to them. Those are what got you the interview.

Bite your tongue.

Talking too much in the interview is among the biggest mistakes graduates make according to employers and recruiters. The more prepared you are for the interview, the less inclined you’ll be to ramble on.

Do your homework.

There’s a wealth of information available on the employer’s web site. Amazingly, many graduates never take the time to thoroughly analyze this information and be ready to answer questions about it in the interview. It will also help if you can talk about some of the key issues going on in their industry.

Create your own job.

Instead of waiting for someone to offer you a job, consider what millions of graduates around the world have been doing for years; i.e. operate as a freelancer. The following will give you an overview of the world of freelancing:

• http://www.elance.com 
• http://www.odesk.com 
• http://www.vworker.com

Finally, you may get some business ideas at: http://www.springwise.com

Ron McGowan is the author of the international bestseller “How to Find WORK in the 21st Century”, currently in use at over 400 colleges and universities worldwide.
http://www.howtofindwork.ca

Whose Recession Is It Anyway? part i - Losing your job

Losing your job in the current economic climate is a devastating experience. Your first reaction is obviously one of shock, followed by confusion. “What am I going to do?” is the first question on everyone’s mind; “How am I going to find another job?”

It takes a few days for it to really sink in. Telling your family and friends is difficult; unfortunately there is still a stigma attached to losing your job. There’s a huge sense of rejection; a feeling of not being wanted. Your mind keeps wondering, “Why me? What did I do wrong?”

It’s really important to remember that people are losing their jobs today through no fault of their own. They haven’t done anything wrong. It’s not their fault there’s a worldwide recession; they can do nothing about the banking crisis. People who are being made redundant are not being singled out because they are bad employees; they’re losing their jobs simply because their employer is facing financial difficulties. Their employer can no longer afford to keep employing them. It’s that simple.

I lost my job in January of this year; I know what it’s like. In my own case I found there was very little help available to tell me what to do. I’d never been unemployed before. I had no idea what my entitlements were; I didn’t know how to go about signing on or anything like that.

That’s why I wrote my book, Oh no; I’ve lost my job. What am I going to do? In a way it was a kind of therapy for me. Writing it gave me a sense of purpose, something positive to be doing. You’ll find my book in most of the local bookshops. [You can also purchase it online from the website of The Job Seekers Union. Price €4.99 plus P&P. - ed.] It tells you everything you need to know if you’ve lost your job; including how to deal with debts, how to get your spending under control; as well as your welfare entitlements and how to go about claiming them. There’s advice too on how to go about looking for another job; how to write your CV, prepare for an interview and so on.

As with everything in life; if you find yourself unemployed, it’s important to try to stay positive. Boredom can quickly lead to depression; so try to stay active and busy. Tackle those jobs around the house that you never got around to; get busy in the garden, take up a hobby.

No matter what your circumstances; it really is important to register with your local social welfare office. The sooner you sign on, the sooner your jobseekers benefit or jobseekers allowance can be processed. It’s takes a while for the first payment to come through, but it will be back dated to the date you first signed on.

If you are in financial difficulty while you are waiting for your benefits to come through, you can get temporary assistance from the Community Welfare Officer. You can find their number in the Phonebook under Community Welfare Services or call your Local Health Centre.

They say looking for a job is a job in itself. Unfortunately there aren’t many vacancies about at the moment, but there are some. Try to be positive, and remember nothing lasts forever. You might have sent off hundreds of CV’s and got no response so far, but you never know what’s around the corner; so don’t give up trying.

Losing your job needn’t be the end of the world; it may be the opportunity to re-invent yourself and do something you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe you’ve always wanted to start a new business, or take up studying? In my own case it gave me the chance to write a book, which I never thought I’d do. I’ve a second book written, so who knows, maybe it’s the start of a new career for me as an author? [David Jones' second book, The Pothole Republic is also available from The Job Seekers Union at a special discount price of €4.99 plus P&P. Click here for more info. - ed]

It’s hard to believe there are over 400,000 unemployed people in the country; that’s a massive number for a country as small as ours. I recently set up a self help organisation called The Job Seekers Union. You can check it out at www.thejobseekersunion.com.

Incidentally, feel free to write to me with your experiences of unemployment. I’m compiling a book of people’s stories which I hope to publish later in the year.

You can contact me through The Job Seekers Union where you can also email me - david@thejobseekersunion.com.

Copyright © David Jones 2009

This is the first in a series of five articles. In the next installment David addresses the issues of 'Telling Your Family and Friends' that you have lost your job.