Navigating The Summer Job Market

Most people believe summer is the worst time to conduct a job search. Between college students and high school students eating up the market, vacations, lagging budgets, etc. hiring would seem to lag during the summer making it a bad time to conduct a job search. In reality, summer is a very good time to job hunt. Here are some tips to make your summer-time job search more effective:

Spiff up your telephone skills. With people on vacation, you will be receiving more voice mail messages than usual as you try to reach people in your job search network. Always make calls with a notepad or organizer nearby and take note of when your contacts will be back in the office. Set an email up to be delivered the day *after* the person�s return and set a reminder to call again the second day after he/she returns.

Make sure you leave a clear, informative voice mail. Make sure you state your name twice, your telephone number twice, and your message once. Give a good time for a call-back. The following is a general formula for an effective voice mail.

�Hello , this is . My number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. I am calling because . The best time to get back in touch with me is . Again, this is and my number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank you!�

Always include your area code with your telephone number. Many times, people cannot return calls because they are not sure where the caller is calling from. Giving your time zone helps the recipient of the message know where you are located and helps them know exactly when to call you back. Speak slowly and clearly, especially if English is not your native tongue. Spell your name if the spelling is not easily recognizable. Provide more than one number if possible and repeat both of them twice.

Take advantage of summer social activities for your job search. Most jobs are filled through word-of-mouth. That means the more people with whom you talk, the more effective your job search. Summertime is chock-full of social activities from picnics to family reunions to ball games. Make the most of gatherings of people to gather information for your search and extend your network toward your target companies.

Volunteer. Summer seems packed with opportunities to volunteer. Volunteering not only gains additional network contacts for your search but it has many emotional rewards, too. Looking for a job, especially for those who have been engaged in long searches (more than 3 months) is emotionally exhausting. The warm fuzzies you receive from volunteering go a long way toward boosting your mental attitude.

Be persistent. Since many job searchers slack off in the summer thinking they are wasting their time, your competition is less. Take advantage of that and redouble your efforts in your search.

Published in 25 career books, Alesia has been cited by Jist Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North America" and quoted as a Career Expert in the Wall Street Journal. Serving as the Resume Expert for over 50+ organizations, she has numerous media appearances to her credit and is a frequent keynote speaker. getinterviews.com

Related Information of Interest:

Job Interview Mistakes - Part 2
Many people feel that the interview is the single most stressful part of the job search process. Any number of things can go wrong, and a big part of being successful is avoiding simple mistakes. The things you should avoid doing are as below:

1. Trying to wing the interview: Practice! Get a list of general interview questions, a friend, a tape recorder, and a mirror and conduct an interview rehearsal. Practice until your delivery feels comfortable but not canned.

2. Not being yourself: Be yourself and be honest! Don't pretend to understand a question or train of thought if you don't. The interviewer will pick up on this. If you don't know an answer, say so. Relax and be yourself. Remember you're interviewing the company as well as vice versa.

3. Not listening: Focus on the question that is being asked and don't try to anticipate the next one. It's OK to pause and collect your thoughts before answering a question. Pay special attention to technical or work process related subjects that are unique to a given firm or organization. The interviewer may have provided information you will need to answer the question earlier in the conversation. Employers will be looking for your ability to assimilate new information, retain it, and, most importantly, recognize that information as useful to you later in the interview.

4. Not providing enough details: When answering case questions, technical questions or solving technical problems, take the time to "talk through" your thought process. Recruiters are much more interested in seeing how your mind works and how it attacks a given type of problem, than the answer itself. Articulate your problem solving process and verbalize your thinking.

5. Lack of enthusiasm: Maintain eye contact, greet the interviewer with a smile and a firm handshake (not too weak, not too strong), and show common courtesy. Don't be afraid to display your passion for the job/industry and to show confidence.

About the Author: Hans Hasselfors is the founder of SubmitYourNewArticle.com. Visit our article directory for varied articles about job search.

Getting Into Your Desired Job Position
When we look for a job, we wanted to be working in the field we specialize or plainly have an interest with so we can utilize our knowledge and talent. Some of us successfully got what they want while others looked for different fieldwork due to different circumstances.

In these days, it is hard to look for a job. Employers look for an edge that makes you different from the rest. Moreover, the edge that employers look for is experience. When applying for a job that you desire you must at least have the experience or have knowledge on the position you are applying. However, when an employer sees that you have the potential, they will provide a free training for the position we applied.

How employers knew who would fit for the position? The answer really depends on us applicants� performance during the application. When we pass our resume either online or walk-in, the employer must get a good impression from the resume that we submitted. What we wrote in the resume is what exactly we can offer to the company, so be careful not to be too arrogant in making a resume, be precise, limit yourself on what you know. Never put anything in the resume that we actually do not know.

When an employer likes what he sees in your resume immediately he will ask for an interview, now during the interview it is ok to be confident but not too much. Just be yourself, if you do not know the answer to his question just politely say you do not have any idea. Just make it a point that the employer sees in you the interest in the position you are applying, and it is enough for the employer to hire you.

From the job given to you, we must learn from it, not just work it. Learn how to enrich your knowledge. Never stop, always aim higher, take it gradually to the position you really wanted to achieve.

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