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Get a Job Easier Than You’ve Expected!

We are taught everything in the university but not the skills needed to get into the working world. Nor are we taught how to survive in the working world. We guessed that they want to leave that for you to explore it when you are in it. Now the first thing when you get out of university is to get your first job! We’ve got tips for you to get a job easier than you expected! This is also applicable for mid-career professional as well!

Understand how HR works – HR will have done an initial screening of the resumes and CV. They will look for keywords and phrases, and if you do not have them, you will be filtered off. Those that looked common or uninteresting will be filtered off too. So how do you survive this initial round? Read on!

Understand how online job application system works – Online application is to allow the HR employer to better search through the applicants. What will they search for? Keywords, key skills and certifications in your resume. This is important to understand as you will know what to provide in your resume.

Don’t use Microsoft Word resume template – Everyone is using the resume template. You won’t be different from them and leave you a higher chance not to be filter off. Create a template of your own to differentiate from the others! (And do not use those templates on the internet!)

Cover letter should write in employer context – Craft it in what they want, not what can you give. However, you can write what you can give to satisfy their incumbent’s position.

Cover letter should be one page long – Limit the amount of scrolling and not deterring the employer from reading
Write resume content with keywords – Remember about how online system works? Keywords, key skills and certifications are just a few things they will search for.

Send a printed copy to your employee – Do this on top of the electronic application. This shows your sincerity of the job. This is another differentiator that you can employ.

Talk to an “insider”- It is easier to get into a job through recommendation and it had always been the case. Therefore, get a good network that can lay you the job in the company if possible.

Fine tune your resume – Fine tune your resume after each round of the interview. Through the applications (after being rejected or being approached), you will eventually learn what the industry really want (not what you can provide) and you can fine tune your resume to suit their needs.

The author is well-versed in the area of personal productivity, personal growth and career advice, and runs a successful blog over at Lost In Cubes. You can also learn other proven career advice tips in Lost In Cubes.


You only look for a job a few times in your life. Compared with the amount of time you spend actually doing it, investing time and energy in an effective job search repays the effort many times over. Studies show that people who understand and do well at the job search process enjoy substantially more job satisfaction and higher earnings over the course of their careers.

Those who put extra effort into the job search can bring not just a more satisfying life but extra salary.

We are here to help. ItsNotYouItsYourResume.com has compiled an impressive list of contributors including writers from 10BiggestInterviewMistakes, 10BiggestResumeMistakes, MyOnlineCareerCoach and MyOnlineCareerSpace, who have written the following:

Job and Career Books:

101 Tips Every Job Seeker Should Know

Ultimate Online Job Search EBook

Top 10 Interview Mistakes

10 Biggest Resume Mistakes

Additional Articles
How Personal Branding Works And Its Affect On Your Job Search
Why Get Personal, How Your Online Personal Brand Can Help Your Job Search
Personal marketing and job search: Make an emotional connection.
Stand Up to Stand Out. How Personal Marketing Can Land You Your Dream Career
Oprah Winfrey and Job Search
How to Network
Video Resumes
5 Interview Questions You May Be Asked

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 1:10 pm and is filed under Online Job Search. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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