Hi Job Seekers,
Recently I was going through the Book "Answering Tough Interview Questions For Dummies". I found the last chapter about "Ten Tips to Creating the Perfect Career". After reading that, I felt to share the content of the same to you all. I have pruned the content to make it more readable and brief.
10. Knowing What You Want in a Job
Many people aren’t that happy in their jobs. But given that we often spend more time at work than we do at home, wouldn’t thinking about how we can be more fulfilled in our jobs make good sense? Only when you have an idea of where you want to go can you start to think about the steps necessary to get there.
9. Understanding Yourself
Many people hold themselves back at work because they delude themselves about their true strengths and weaknesses. To some extent, I’d say that pretty much everybody allows themselves a few delusions. And often the reason people can’t get a new job is because interviewers can see some weakness in them that they refuse to see in themselves.
You need to understand your weaknesses before you can work on them. And the best way of identifying these weaknesses is to gather feedback from people who know you. Simply ask these people three questions:
- What are my strengths?
- What are my weaknesses?
- How can I improve on my weaknesses?
8. Working on Your Weaknesses
Don’t ignore the feedback you receive from people. Dismissing feedback and thinking that these people don’t understand the real you is easy. But remember that if the people who know you can see certain weaknesses in you, then employers may decide not to give you a job because they can see those weaknesses too.
7. Networking Widely
A massive market of jobs is never advertised, but instead filled by word-of-mouth alone. And the only way to access those jobs is to make sure that people know about you, your skills, and experience. If you only take on board one piece of advice for building a successful and rewarding career network more widely.
6. Asking to See Offers in Writing
Being offered a job is a great feeling. Hurrah and congratulations! But always ask to see an offer in writing. You can read through the document at your own pace and see exactly what the company is offering you. Apart from the salary itself, does the offer satisfy your needs in terms of benefits? Employers can and do occasionally retract offers due to unforeseen circumstances. So keep attending interviews and never close off other job options until you’ve signed an iron-clad employment contract.
5. Evaluating the Job Thoroughly
Apart from the pay and benefits, other factors are also important in considering a job offer. How much do you really want this job? How does it fit in with your long-term career plans? Given that you may be spending many months or even years in the job, do you think you’ll enjoy it? No employer is ever perfect for you. Always ask for at least a couple of days – more if the role is senior – to think about a job offer and consider whether the position is totally right for you.
4. Considering Culture Carefully
Being chosen over other candidates and offered a new job is thrilling. But remember that employers rarely tell candidates exactly what working for their company is like – or at least not voluntarily. Interviewers and recruitment brochures are there to sell a job to prospective candidates.
In deciding whether to accept a new job offer, you should weigh up the culture of the organisation – the unspoken rules that govern how people really behave at work.
3. Negotiating a Good Deal for Yourself
Your best chance to negotiate a better deal for yourself is when the interviewers offer you the job. They have eliminated the other candidates and decided that you are the only person that they want. If you’re unsatisfied with the salary or benefits, or perhaps the conditions of the job, you have nothing to lose by asking to have them tweaked to your satisfaction. Don’t think only about asking for more pay or benefits. You may also want to consider options such as, the hours that you work, the nature of your job, the opportunities for training and your financial needs.
2. Investing in Your Future
Most people are full of enthusiasm on joining a new organisation. But that enthusiasm can fade after a few years or even months. And then those people end up putting themselves on autopilot – going through the motions but not thinking about what they can do to push themselves and develop in their careers.
Cruising is fine until you look for a new job. Interviewers want to know about your achievements. Will you have anything worthwhile to talk about?
Make sure that you build up your CV by participating in big projects, volunteering to join committees, chasing promotions, or at least moving departments every couple of years. Always think about storing up achievements to put onto your CV and talk about in future interviews.
Your employer may say that they have your best interests at heart – but in reality the needs of the organisation always come above yours. If you don’t look after your own career, no one else will!
1. Looking for Opportunities to Grow
Employers don’t like to give big pay rises to long-standing employees. And getting more responsibility can be difficult if an organisation is happy to leave you where you are. Often, the only way to get more money or responsibility is to change employers. So always keep an eye on the jobs sections of newspapers and relevant Web sites.
Keep in touch with headhunters and recruitment consultants. Even if you’re not currently thinking about changing jobs, update your CV and send it to them at least once a year so that you’re on file for possible future opportunities.
Well Wisher,
Sunit Ronnie Ghosh
Please note, as the author has already mentioned the reference of the material above and has no rights what so ever on the content. Please buy the book to read the contents.
