Thursday, September 18, 2014

How to Find a Legitimate Job Online

Now that you have been equipped with knowledge on how to write an effective and impressive cover letter and resume, it's time that we discuss how to find a job online. Finding a job online is quite easy but be careful as there are a lot of phishing sites that could lead you to some troubles. Here are some websites that could give you legitimate jobs. These websites offer onsite and home-based jobs. So, whether you are looking for an online job or an office-based job, we've got it covered for you.

5 Websites Offering On-Site Local and International Jobs
Jobstreet.com started operating in 1995 and is now considered to be one of the leading internet recruitment websites in the Asia-PAcific region. It offers a comprehensive list of interactive recruitment services. 

JobsDB started operating in 1998 and has become a leading job portal across China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. It is one of Asia's preferred websites for job seekers.

Monster offers job seekers a wide range of opportunities worldwide. Whether you are thinking of having a new job, a career change or a new job location or a new direction, Monster can help you explore the possibilities and ultimately help you find the right opportunity for you.

Naukrigulf.com was launched in early 2006 and has become the fastest emerging job site in the  Gulf region. The portal provides job seekers with a wide range of services that enable them to browse jobs, register an account and apply online.

Dice is the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals. It is one of America's leading career job portal. It was founded in 1990 and has over 500 employees worldwide.

5 Websites Offering Home-based Jobs
oDesk is a global online platform that connects businesses to independent professionals and collaborate remotely. It was founded in 2003 and is based in Redwood City, California, USA. Thousands of companies use odesk to hire freelancers all over the world. it offers jobs such as accountants, recruiters, developers, designers and a lot more.

eLance is an online staffing platform that also connects businesses to independent professionals worldwide. eLance and oDesk have already joined forces to offer a wide range of work-from-home / location independent job opportunities.

Guru.com is a marketplace for freelancers. It allows companies to find freelancers for commissioned jobs. It also offers freelance workers an opportunity to find the right jobs most relevant to their skills and experience.

Onlinejobs.ph is an online marketplace where Filipino workers can find a legitimate and reliable home-based jobs with local and international companies. It allows job seekers find a high paying job without leaving his/her home.

Freelancer is a global marketplace that allows companies to post jobs and that potential contractors can bid and and complete. 

 More...
Aside from the websites mentioned above, you can also check craigslist.com for job openings, just make sure you take extra precautions in applying for a job. Ideally, a job seeker should not be asked for any amount of money to be considered for a job. If the recruiter is asking for money, it's probably a scam. 

Major newspapers also have a job section in their websites. If you are in UAE, www.gulfnews.com has a comprehensive list of job vacancies. 

Another option where you can find your future job is through www.linkedin.com. It's a social networking site for professionals. A lot of recruiters post jobs via linkedin. Make sure you have a linkedin profile with relevant and professional content.

For Filipinos looking for overseas jobs, you may check out workabroad.ph. A lot of Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POAE) accredited job agencies post their job vacancies in the website. Again, be careful of illegal recruiters. Make sure they are legitimate agencies by checking the POEA website if they are accredited. 

There you go, we hope this will help you in a landing a job. Good luck!

Simple Guidelines in Writing An Impressive Resume

As we have discussed in our previous posts, writing an effective resume is necessary to get noticed by the recruiters and hiring managers. Do your best and take time to review what you have written. Imagine yourself being the hiring manager. Here are more tips and and simple guidelines for a resume that will matter and will help you land a job.

Effective Titles:

Nursing:
  • Before: Nurse
  • After: RN -- 10+ Years of ER Experience 
Human Resources:
  • Before: HR Professional
  • After: HR Manager / SPHR / 10 Yrs. Exp.
Engineering:
  • Before: Engineer
  • After: Manufacturing Engineer -- Six Sigma

Typos and Grammatical Errors

Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If it isn't, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you. It will send a wrong signal to the hiring manager and will somehow be the end of your application.

Use Bullet Points 

Employers are busy and they do not have the time (or patience) to read long paragraphs of text. Make sure to use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background and professional objectives

Analyze Job Ads 

You will find plenty of useful information on job advertisements. Analyze not only the ad that you will be applying for, but also those from companies on the same industry or offering similar positions. You should be able to see what profile they are looking for and how the information should be presented.
 
Action Verbs

Avoid using phrases like "responsible for." Instead, use action verbs: "Resolved user concerns as part of an IT help desk serving 3,000 students and staff."

Tips on Writing an Effective Resume

Writing a resume is not rocket science and all recruiters and hiring managers actually want to see the same thing on a good resume. Your resume is your self-marketing tool. It should effectively communicate your assets in writing to an employer. Writing an effective resume is an art, not science, so it should be tailored for the job you are applying. It should convince the recruiter/hiring manager to interview you based on the qualifications you have written. 

The following are some tips to help you write an effective resume. 

Things to remember when writing a resume:
  • You don't have to really re-invent yourself with your resume, you just have to present your qualifications clearly and in a manner that draws the right kind of attention.
  • There is no "right" template, so feel free to use your own for as long as it looks professional
  • Resumes with two columns, multiple colors and fonts and fancy photos can be viewed as trying to overcompensate for lack of relevant experience. It is advisable to have a solid content.
  • Think like a recruiter or hiring manager when you write your resume.
  • Proofread it twice or even more
The basic ground rules:
  • Use a basic but modern font: Helvetica, Arial, Calibri, Century Gothic or if you must, the classic Times New Roman
  • Use a font size between 10 and 12. Names and main titles can be larger
  • NEVER use Comic Sans... ever!
  • Do not lie or put something you are not familiar with.
Some rules of thumb in writing a resume:
  • 1 page is okay for recent college graduates
  • 2-3 pages for experiences professionals
  • 3 pages for those with over 15 years of experience
  • 3+ for people who publish widely in journals like medical and academic professionals
Some facts about resume compiled by BeHiring:
  • First applications are usually received 200 seconds after a job is posted online
  • The average time spent looking at a CV is 5-7 seconds
  • One spelling or grammar mistake and your CV will be thrown in the bin
  •  There is about 88% rejection rate if you have a photo of yourself on your CV
  • One in every three employers has rejected candidates based on what they found about the applicants online
  • An average of 250 CVs (if posted on reliable job sites like Jobstreet, JobsDB, Naukri, Monster, Dice, etc) are received for each job posting
  • About 68% of employers will find you on Facebook
  • There is a 17% chance that your cover letter will be read so make it outstanding.
  • Around 76% CV are ignored if your email address is unprofessional

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Cover Letter Mistakes To Avoid?

We have already discuss how important your cover letter is in our previous article. It's time to go through the common mistakes to avoid in writing your cover letter and few more tips to get noticed by the recruiter and hiring manager.

Badly written, poor spelling etc.,

Your must ensure that your cover letter is grammatically correct and free from mistakes. This means no spelling mistakes, no incorrect use of language and punctuations and no shortening of words. Make sure you get the person’s name right and make sure you spell the company name correctly.

Template cover letters
A cover letter is your chance to really sell yourself. Do not just copy and paste the standard cover letter that you use for every job application. Cover letters like these make your application boring and the same as every other candidate. Take the time and effort to write an original honest and unique cover letter for each job you apply for.

Consistency
It is important that what you say in your cover letter matches what you have written in your resume. 

Do not lie on your cover letter or mention skills or experience which are missing from your resume.

Don’t undersell yourself
You are writing a cover letter to help you get a job! It is important that you only include relevant and positive information about yourself. Do not undersell your skills and experience. If you do that why would they call you?

Writing An Outstanding Cover Letter

Cover letters are the first chance you have to impress a potential employer. Don't look at them as a support to your CV but rather see it as an opportunity for you to stand out from the rest of the applicants and persuade the recruiter to put you through to the next round of the screening process. It should be used to state the skills and experiences you have that are directly related to the specific job you are applying to. 

If you want it to be read and make an impact then make it personal and don’t use a standard template found on the internet. You may look at samples to give you an idea of what to write but you should not copy the whole content. 

What should I put in my cover letter? 
  • State which job you are applying for, companies usually have more than one open position at a time! If applying via email, make sure you put the job title you are applying in the subject line. 
  • Say why you are applying for that specific role, is it time for a career move etc. 
  • Say clearly what it is that makes you suited to the role, is it your experience, skills etc. If so then what skills and experience? 
  • Give the recruiter or hiring manager a reason to call you in for an interview!
How should I structure a cover letter? In the order that you should write them, you need; 
  • To write an opening line (e.g. Dear Sir, Dear Mr XXXXX). It’s polite and professional.
  • To name the position you are applying for and how you heard about the job.
  • A brief sentence stating where you currently work, how much experience you have and what education you have attained.
  • A short paragraph detailing precisely why you are suitable for the role. This section is where you really sell yourself to the employer.
  • To request a meeting or interview, and say you are available at their convenience and don’t forget to include your contact details.
  • Always include a final line thanking them or similar (e.g. Best wishes, Kindest regards, Salutations, etc.).