| Job hunting can be a very nerve wrecking and | | | | Prepare an Effective Cover Letter |
| unsettling experience. No one likes to feel unsure | | | | You might have heard friends or family make the |
| about their future, and even worse: no one likes to | | | | comment that "I was hired based on my cover |
| feel that they are not in control of their future. The | | | | letter." This is actually quite common. An effective |
| good news: If you are honest with yourself about | | | | cover letter should highlight your skills, |
| your qualifications and goals, and take the right steps | | | | accomplishments and goals in one simple, |
| to achieving those goals, you will have total control | | | | easy-to-read page. Also include how you heard about |
| over the situation. | | | | the job opening (if there is one), why you want to |
| Relax and Prioritize | | | | work there and why you think you would be a good |
| Being unemployed isn't the end of the world. It's an | | | | fit. |
| exciting chance to try your hand at a new career or | | | | Get the Word Out |
| a new company. Have confidence in your abilities and | | | | There are several effective methods of identifying |
| have faith that you will find something that's right for | | | | open positions that interest you. One is by simply |
| you. Preparing yourself mentally is a very important | | | | putting the word out to your professional colleagues |
| first step in effective job hunting. | | | | that you are currently looking for a job in xyz field |
| Update and Simplify Your Resume | | | | doing xyz work. If you are a good networker, |
| Create an up-to-date, honest resume that really | | | | chances are, someone will have a lead for you-there's |
| spells out who you are. Make bulleted lists of your | | | | nothing like a personal reference from a trusted |
| former jobs and 3-5 responsibilities or achievements | | | | colleague. Another method is to identify specific |
| to go along with each job. Remember to start these | | | | companies you are interested in and bookmark |
| with action words. | | | | frequently check their website's employment page. |
| Example: don't say: "I oversaw production..." say: | | | | This method is usually effective for job hunters who |
| "managed production." Keep it clear, crisp and concise. | | | | have a good bit of time to look around. |
| Also include a section with any special skills you might | | | | What if you need something right away? There are |
| have such as speaking other languages or advanced | | | | plenty of online job search engines that compile and |
| software knowledge. Once you've written an | | | | organize available jobs by type, location, salary etc. |
| up-to-date resume, you can focus on the most | | | | These engines often expedite the process of finding |
| important part: the cover letter. | | | | the job you want in a reasonable amount of time. |