Samantha Pearce is the owner of Words Worth Reading an online editorial service for Job Seekers, Students, Writers and Businesses Words Worth Reading offer individually-tailored, comprehensive resume and application form writing and editing services
Everyone knows the saying “New Year New Career” Samantha explains how to make it a reality for you.
The New Year brings with it a rush of resolutions; a decision to give up smoking, drink less alcohol, resist chocolate cake, save more money and find that perfect job.
Resolutions can be hard to keep, especially as everyday life means you often don’t have the time or energy to stick to the promises you’ve made yourself.
But there is one resolution you can keep in 2009, and that’s finding your perfect job. Follow these simple rules and you’ll be well on your way to securing a happier, more fulfilling career future.
Step 1 – Identify you’re perfect career
It may sound obvious, but in order to progress your career forward, you need to know where you want your career to lead you to and identify which role you ultimately want to fulfill. Identify your perfect career, and then work out which roles you need to have held to achieve that ultimate career.
For example, if you want to become a chief executive of a company you would normally need to have first fulfilled a variety of service level and managerial roles within your specific industry. Alternatively, if you want to become a personal shopper, you will need to have spent some time working in a retail environment, and have gained a lot of strong customer service skills.
Identify your ultimate job, and then work the career history back to ascertain which roles you need to fulfill in order to gain sufficient experience to reach that ultimate job or career.
Step 2 – Go job hunting… find those roles that will help you reach your ultimate career
It’s time to go job hunting! Check out the on-line recruitment agencies such as CaribbeanJobs.com first, as these often have the largest range of jab vacancies, internships and work placement opportunities. Why not also look in the local papers, job centres and those trade publications that relate to the career environment you’re looking to branch into.
Pull together a list of job opportunities that appeal to you and write down the contact details and deadlines for each. Re-arrange the list in order of application closing date, with those that are closing first at the top of the list and those that are closing last at the bottom. Then, in list order, contact each organisation and request their employee application pack and application form.
As each application pack arrives, stack them in order of application deadline, ready to complete each application form, or send off each resume in list order.
Step 3 – Tailor your resume
To ensure each application form or resume request meets the potential employer’s expectations; it needs to be tailored to the job description for each of the roles you’re applying for. “Tailoring your resume or Application Form” means ensuring that your declaration of skills, knowledge and experience emphasizes those skills, knowledge and experiences requested or desired in the job descriptions for the jobs you’re applying for. In a nutshell, it means showing your potential employer that you have the ability to competently fulfill the role you’ve applied for.
Step 4 – Compose the perfect Covering Letter
Regardless of whether you are applying for a job via completing an application form or by sending in a copy of your resume, it makes perfect sense to include a personalized covering letter, addressed to the person who will be reading your application. The covering letter should include;
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A personal address to the person who will be reading your application
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A statement declaring which job you’re applying for, and where you saw the job advertised
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A paragraph summarizing your skills, and a declaration regarding why you would be perfect for the job
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A statement regarding why you want to work for that particular company or organisation
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A polite sign off
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Your contact details
Step 5 – Send off your applications
Once your resume and application forms are completed and tailored to each job description, and your covering letters have been written, there’s nothing left to do except apply for those jobs! Keep a record of which jobs have been applied for so that you can track them through the application process.
Good luck!
Samantha Pearce is the owner of Words Worth Reading – an editorial service for Job Seekers, Students, Writers and Businesses.
Words Worth Reading offer individually-tailored, comprehensive resume and application form writing and editing services at fantastic prices, with quick turnaround times.
For more information go to www.wordsworthreading.co.uk
Contact the team direct on sam@wordsworthreading.co.uk
Call them on + 44 1277 824 640
Samantha Pearce is CaribbeanJobs.com’s resume expert
Samantha Pearce
