7 Tips to Boost Your Chances of Getting a Job

7 Tips to Boost Your Chances of Getting a Job Getting a job in todays economy is no easy challenge. You may not be able to land a job even after weeks or months of job search. This is because most of the jobseekers are using specific strategies to stay ahead in the competition. If you don’t want to be left behind in the race, you too need to have an action-plan ready with you. The more time it takes to look for a job, the more frustrated you can become. So, you need to act now! Given below are seven key tips that you can use to boost your job search and land a job before it’s really too late. #1. Don’t Look for a Perfect Job If you ask career experts, they’ll tell you that there’s nothing like a perfect job. You may not always be able to get all you want from a job in a single package, particularly when the going is really tough. Therefore, the first thing that you need to keep in mind while trying to get a new job is ‘let go of perfectionism’. You’ll always have time to find better opportunities when you’ve got a job already. #2. Gear Up Really Well Preparation is always the key, whether it’s submitting a resume, applying for a job, attending an interview or meeting with the employer. Make sure all your gears are in good order. Spend adequate time to create an impressive resume. Do remember to tailor your cover letter to the specific requirements of the employer you want to work with. Take a look at How To Write a Resume Feel the Employer Pain. #3. Network Extensively (But not Blindly) Social or professional networking can bring you amazing results. If you want to boost your chances of landing a job really quickly, you should try to connect with more and more influential people, both offline and online. Attend social and community events where you can get to know new people. Be active on popular social networking websites like Faceboo, Twitter and LinkedIn. In any case, don’t waste your time networking blinding. Always connect with those people who you think can bring you career benefits in some way or the other. More at Top 10 Networking Books for Your Career Success. #4. Don’t Let Rejections Discourage You Getting rejected is just a part of the game. And it’s so easy to get frustrated when you see no results from your job search. Not every employer will want to hire you. Hiring managers will offer you a job only when they are fully convinced of your potential and how you can help their company with your skills. Even if you are rejected in your first few attempts, you need to continue with your job search. If it’s really taking longer than what you expected, you need to review your strategy and modify the action plan. #5. Focus on Getting Your Foot in the Door First If you really want to boost your chances of getting a job, you should first try to get your foot in the door. The first break is important. Unless you get your first break in the industry, you can’t build the work experience that you’ll need to negotiate better job or career opportunities. #6. Also Target Regional Job Websites Don’t make potential job search mistakes like many others do. While it’s always advisable to submit your resume to the major job boards, it’s also a useful recommendation not to ignore regional job sites. Try to find jobs in your own location by visiting job sites that focus on a specific region. Have a look at the Riley Guide or Job-Hunt.org for job board directories. #7. Don’t Ignore Temporary Jobs Getting a temporary job is always better than sitting unemployed. Since these are really lean times, you shouldn’t completely ignore temporary jobs. Many companies hire candidates for temporarily. If it’s one with a potential employer, you should grab it quickly. Who knows when this temporary job can turn into a full-time job position. Just give your 100 percent to whatever job you take up and try to showcase your most essential and unique skills. Finally, ensure youre not making any mistakes by reading the Top 5 Job Search Blunders. Author: James Tomerson writes regularly on career, education and latest job trends. To read more from him, you can visit Jobdiagnosis.com, which also offers jobseekers a free career aptitude test to choose a career which is in tune with their career, aptitude and skills.

Help Writing a Resume in Philadelphia

Help Writing a Resume in PhiladelphiaOnce you know how to write a resume, it's time to move on to other elements of the job search. In other words, once you've got a job, how do you get to keep it? The job of a potential employer is to find people who are worth the trouble to work with. Therefore, they may also be looking for someone with whom they can build a team.How would you like to find someone who can help you get to know the company, or that might be able to recommend a referral network of business partners and customers? If you've done the job properly, you can help them decide who to give a contract to, who to hire, and who to refer for future jobs. It takes more than a resume to land the job, but it certainly isn't impossible.How would you like to use the networking ability you've learned in a more formal way? Instead of handing out a resume to all the friends and acquaintances you run into when you are doing an online search, send it to the potential employer or co-worker of someone who might be of value to them. With the internet, there is now no excuse not to reach out to new opportunities that would otherwise have been overlooked.A thank you card should be included with your resume, but how would you want the mailer to look? A professional letterhead to match the envelopes makes for a professionally attractive mailing. You can also give a professional, handwritten note when you sign the envelope. It's quite pleasant to receive something so personal.What if you didn't make any mistakes or grammar mistakes in your letter? You could contact a friend who is an expert at writing resumes. Ask for an introduction to his contacts in the company. When you meet them, ask to see their handbook and they should be happy to send it along.Of course, the most important elements of the resume are the skill-sets it contains. You'll want to avoid using 'auto-submit' on your resume.The date is the other vital piece of the puzzle. Don't put in dates before interviews. It takes away from the importance of getting a full idea of what was covered during the interview.Look at the skills you have and the skills you want to learn about and you'll be in a good position to go out and search for jobs. By using your skills as well as those of your friends and others you'll end up in a wonderful position to find the perfect job for you.

From Weapons to Wit The Best Self Defense for Women

From Weapons to Wit The Best Self Defense for Women Its estimated that around 230,000 women are sexually assaulted each year in the US. Thats more than 600 women being sexually assaulted each day. And, thats just sexual assault. If you add in murder, domestic violence, and physical assault, those numbers would skyrocket. The fact that women have to worry about being assaulted on a daily basis is a huge problem in and of itself. And obviously, the ideal solution would be for those committing the attacks to learn that what theyre doing is not okay and to stop. But, that, unfortunately, isnt the world we live in, which is why its important for women to always be aware of their surroundings and to do what they can to avoid being attacked. But, what exactly can a woman do to avoid being attacked? Check out this self defense for women guide to learn about the best options. 1. Take Preventative Steps First things first, before you go out there and buy every self-defense weapon on the market, its very important that youre aware of the preventative steps you can take to avoid being attacked. This goes beyond obvious things like walking alone at night or locking your doors when you get home. To avoid an unexpected attack, try to make the following regular habits: Dont listen to music when walking home alone: This can be very distracting, and you want to make sure your eyes and ears are always alert Tell people where you are going and when you should be back: We dont mean you need to alert someone every time you go to the grocery store, but if youre going on a long hike, a date with a new guy, or engaging in some other out-of-the-ordinary activity, let people know. This way, itll be much easier to track you down in the event that something bad happens If you leave work late, ask a trusted coworker to walk you to your car Share your location with your friends on your smartphone Dont leave your drinks unattended when out at bars/restaurants And above all, always remember to trust your gut. If someone is making you feel uncomfortable, dont feel guilty about disengaging with them. Many women let themselves stay in situations because they dont want to come across as impolite. But the truth is, your own safety should always be your number one priority. If someone or something is making you feel uncomfortable, you have every right to remove yourself from the situation without making any excuses. 2. Yell for Help It may sound obvious, but yelling for help is perhaps one of the best ways to stop an attack from happening. Not only does this alert those around you that you are in danger, but it can also sometimes throw off the attacker and cause them to run away. Now, there is a lot of debate out there when it comes to what word you should yell in the event of an attack. Some say you should yell help, others say you should always yell fire. But the truth is, you never really know what word people are going to respond to. And in the situation, youre likely not going to think to yourself this magazine told me to yell this word, so I better do that! The best thing to remember is that yelling something is better than yelling nothing. 3. Take a Self-Defense Course A lot of women are under the impression that if a man attacks them, there isnt really anything they can do, as the majority of men are physically stronger than women. But, the truth is that defending yourself really doesnt have anything to do with your size or your fighting abilities. There are actually a number of self-defense moves out there that can help you get out of a dangerous situation, even if the person attacking you is twice your size. This is why we recommend taking a self-defense class. During these classes, you can learn the right moves that will help you defend yourself during an attack. And remember, defending yourself doesnt mean beating your attacker senseless. It means getting away from your attacker and getting to safety. When you look at it like that, it makes fighting off a 230-lb man seem a lot more realistic. And dont worry, you dont need to spend years and years learning self-defense moves to know what to do during an attack. In fact, there are many day-long self-defense workshops out there that will teach you some basics things you can do in the event of an attack. And, if you really like the workshop, you may even want to consider martial arts classes to really hone your skills. 4. Run As we just said, defending yourself doesnt mean beating up your attacker. It means removing yourself from the dangerous situation you are in and getting to safety. Therefore, its very important to keep in mind that running away from your attacker (or potential attacker) is always an option. Even if you dont think you can outrun the person, its always worth a shot. Sometimes, running is enough to deter the attacker, as they know that chasing after you will cause a commotion. And, as we said earlier, go with your gut. Someone doesnt need to pull out a knife to justify you running away. If youre walking to your car and you feel like someone is following you but youre not sure, you still have every reason to run the rest of the way to your car. 5. Self Defense Weapons Lastly, lets talk about self-defense weapons. Self-defense weapons should be treated as an if all else fails solution. In other words, you should focus first on doing what you can to avoid an attack, yelling, and running away. If these efforts fail, then you may need to resort to a self-defense weapon. Some self-defense weapons worth considering are: Guns Perhaps the most lethal self-defense weapon worth considering is a gun. Of course, if you choose to purchase a gun for self-defense, youll want to take a course on gun safety and shooting beforehand. Otherwise, you could accidentally end up hurting yourself or other innocent bystanders. Also, if you choose to purchase a gun, youll want to make sure you buy one that is meant for self-defense. You can learn about the different kinds of guns out there and do some browsing at Seekins Precision. Lastly, remember to look up your states/countrys laws on carrying weapons. Even if you dont plan to use the weapon (besides in the event of an attack) there are still regulations you need to follow when owning a firearm. Pepper Spray If you are looking for a self-defense weapon that is easy to use and convenient to take with you wherever you go, then pepper spray is your answer. If youre not familiar, pepper spray comes in a little tube/spray can that has a nozzle. When an attacker approaches you, all you need to do is open the can and press down on the nozzle as you point it towards the attackers face. If done right, the pepper spray will temporarily blind the attacker and give you an opportunity to run. Most pepper spray devices give you a range of 10 to 12 feet, and some even go as far as 18 feet, so dont worry about having perfect aim. But, remember that pepper spray will only debilitate your attacker for a short period of time, so youll have to move quickly after using it. Tactical Knife Whats the difference between a tactical knife and a standard kitchen knife? For starters, tactical knives dont really look like knives. Only at the last second will the attacker realize that the hairbrush or pen you are pulling out is actually a knife. While getting away from an attacker with a tactical knife may sound a little unrealistic, tactical knives are actually more effective than bullets, as stabbing at close range means you have more control over the placement. Flashlight The benefits of flashlights as self-defense weapons are actually threefold: 1. Flashlights can help you spot an attacker before they even get to you 2. Turning on a flashlight can temporarily blind your attacker, giving you an opportunity to run away 3. You can hit an attacker over the head with a flashlight, which at the very least can throw them off balance and give you a chance to escape Of course, make sure you buy a flashlight thats actually meant for self-defense situations. Chances are, the flashlight you have shoved in the back of your junk drawer wont be sufficient. Alarm Of course, not all self-defense weapons involve the use of physical force. For those looking for a simple yet effective self-defense weapon that doesnt require any physical prowess, an alarm is the perfect device. And were not just talking about the fancy alarms that you can have installed in your home. There are many personal alarms available that you can attach to your keychain that can be as loud as 130 decibels. Thatll be loud enough to get everyones attention in the surrounding area! With personal alarms, all you have to do is press a button for the sound to go off. Self Defense for Women: Do You Feel Prepared to Defend Yourself? We hope that after reading this article, you feel more confident and prepared to defend yourself in the event of an attack. As we said earlier, always trust your gut when it comes to defending yourself. If a situation feels unsafe, you have every right to get out of there, and you dont owe anyone an apology or an excuse. If you have any questions about this self defense for women guide, let us know in the comments below. And, be sure to check out this guide about the best self-defense tips for women.