How To Get A Job Fast
The sad fact is that many people these days have lost their jobs due to the unpredictably of today’s economy. Because there have been company’s who have had to lay off huge numbers of staff, companies that merge with others job security is no longer there for many people.
A person who has been made redundant from their job may get a payout but this money will not last forever. For those who are able to get a benefit for unemployment will be able to meet their monetary commitments; however there is a limit to how long one can be on the benefit and will need to go on the hunt for another job before long.
This article will not only help those who are no longer in employment but will give information to everyone no matter what their circumstances. How many of you are happy in the career you are in? Is there some other career you have long dreamed about doing? You are not alone; there are so many people out there these days who wish to be doing something different.
You may have just reached an age milestone and realized you have spent half your life doing something you have never really enjoyed. It has been shown in studies conducted that many people are working because they have to not because they enjoy the job they are doing. Do you realize this can actually affect the length of your lifespan? Why would you stick to doing something that is actually lessening your lifespan?
Many people realize they are in this situation and then have no idea on where to go from there. People tend to hurry into another career because they need the money and don’t take into account what they really want to be doing and just get a job quickly to ensure the bills get paid.
Thankfully there is help now available. By reading this article you can learn about the skills you already have, the ones you want to gain and the type of career you want to be in. This article will also give you information on where to go to find where you can get these jobs.
The first thing you need to know is where to look for this information, what questions you need to ask and what career you want and will be good at as well. A lot of this is needing to understand what makes you think. There is no better person to work out this information than yourself. This article will give you some information but at the end of the day it is really up to you to do something with it. To know your own strengths and weakness will equip you with the power to completely change your entire life.
Identifying Your Skills
What things in your life are you particularly good at?
A simple question no doubt, but have you really ever sat down and thought about your skills in life? What about sitting down and writing down each of your skills? This may seem a simple task however you will find it’s not. Even for those who have tried to write a list probably hasn’t gone deep enough into their skill set and may have missed some important skills that may give you many different career options that you have never thought of.
An exercise that will help you to find these skills that you already have is this; firstly there are three different sets of skill identification, people, things and information. For each category there are skills required that you may not even realize you automatically do. You may already know the things that you are good at and the things you aren’t so good at but this does not mean that identifying your skills will be an easy task for you.
So, let’s start with the skill sets for people this is divided into the skills you use when working with an individual and the skills used for working with groups. Let start with Individuals and answer these questions.
- Do you have skills in communication, either on the phone or in face to face conversation?
Can you communicate well using the written word?
Do you have a skill in carrying out instructions given to you?
Can you advise people while monitoring them, coaching them or counselling them?
Can you teach people?
Are you able to motivate other people?
Can you assess and evaluate other people?
Are you able to diagnose, heal or treat people?
Now let’s move on to group skill sets.
Are you good at doing presentations?
Can you communicate through things like newsletters?
Are you able to speak in public?
Are you able to lead or moderate in a group discussion?
Do you find it easy to coordinate seminars?
Can you train large groups of people?
Are you able to give advice or consult with people?
Are you a leader?
Do you have skills in acting, singing or similar?
Can you motivate, persuade others or sell things?
Do you have negotiation skills?
Can you follow through a project and get it finished?
Are you able to manage a business?
Can you initiate an idea and see it through?
You need to really think about each and every one of these questions and answer them with complete honestly. There are no right or wrong answers and by giving false answers you are only fooling yourself. Keep a list of your answers for future reference.
Now we need to move on to ‘things’.
There are six categories in ‘things’. These can be identified as growing things, objects, equipment and machinery (including vehicles), materials such as wood and clay, buildings and your body.
Let’s begin with objects:
- Do you have a specific skill in handling washing or preparing tools or food?
What about skills in the maintaining of these things?
Can you produce, create or repair these things?
Do you have knowledge of these things?
Can you cook or preserve food?
Lets deal with equipment now;
Are you able to drive, control or assemble vehicles or machinery?
Can you clean, repair or disassemble a vehicle or machinery?
Are you able to maintain or operate certain types of machinery?
Now we will move onto materials – these can range from jewelry, metal, stone, cloth, or wood.
- Are you able to cut material or paint it or craft it in some way?
Can you restore, weave or sew materials?
Are you able to carve, mould or shape and refinish materials?
Now moving onto your body, think about the things you are good at using;
Are you able to do things with your hands?
Do you have good motor coordination or physical coordination?
What about using your fingers and eyes?
Do you have strength and stamina?
We will now look at buildings – do you have particular skills in this area?
Are you able to construct a building or remodel one?
Are you able to decorate or design?
Then we will talk about raising or growing.
Can you treat or train animals?
Are you able to landscape a garden?
This last category is what is known as ‘hands-on’, these are manual skills.
You need to think which things you can do well and more importantly what things you enjoy doing. Many people have turned their hobbies into successful businesses. To do this it is important that you make a list of things that you like and of course things you don’t like.
The last category is information.
What you need to look at here is how much you enjoy working with ideas, information, data and technology. There are four categories in this and they are managing information, creating information, storing this information and using this information.
We will start with creating information;
- Are you able to gather information by watching others?
Can you gather information by researching?
Are you able to search for information?
Can you imagine and idea?
Can you invent and design things?
Now we will look at the storing of information once you have found it.
Can you use filing systems, microfiche or audio and visual equipment?
Are you able to keep books?
Can you use storage on a computer?
Are you able to retrieve the information once you have stored it?
Can you memorize and keep track of details?
We will now look at managing of information that you have gathered and stored.
Can you analyze the data you have?
Are you able to organize and classify your information?
What about writing and problem solving?
Can you look at your data and evaluate it?
What about skills in programming?
Are you able to make decisions?
Can you compare your data with other data?
Lastly we need to look as using the data, once you have gathered the data you need to use it.
Are you able to dissect the data?
Are you able to use the data?
Can you show the data to groups or individuals?
Can you publish the data or report on it?
Now that you have got to this stage you need to count up the positives and the negatives in each category. You can then combine them to find out which skills you have that you are strong in and your weaknesses. You may find that you really like writing scripts and then filming it.
You would then need to look at your specific skills rather than the general overview of skills.
Specifics: You now need to look at the things you really like to work with. Following is a list of things that you can tick if you like them or put a cross next to if you don’t. This isn’t a complete list and you may think of other things, these are just suggestions to help you.
Office Products: desk, switchboard, computer, pens, printers, software or other office machines.
Clothing: dyes, shoes, sewing machine, accessories, buttons or zips, patterns, knitting
Household goods: furniture, appliances, dishes, laundry, blankets, wallpaper, clocks, pots and pans, burglar or fire alarms, chimneys, carpet, paint, tools, tents
Material: paper, stone, aluminium, cement, pottery, plants, bricks, wood, bronze, pewter, cloth, steel, brass, paper-mache
Electronic: television, camera, stereo, video recorders, radios, radars, movie equipment, tape recorder, records/cds/cassettes
Financial: calculator, money, money market accounts, cash register, ledgers, financial records, stocks, futures
Recreation: musical instruments, games, gambling, board games, sporting events, kites
Communication: telephone, short wave radios, telegraph, answering machines, fax machines
Transportation: bicycles, automobiles, trains, airplanes, hot air balloons, boats, subways, motorcycles, RV’s
Medical: x ray machines, lab testing, medicine, prosthetics, dental equipment, anaesthetics, vitamins, hearing aids, eyeglasses
Equipment: guns, gym apparatus, fishing rods, lawnmowers, garden tools, rakes, traps, axes, pesticides, plows, harvesters, threshers, shovel or pick, tractor, hand trucks, sander, drill,
Miscellaneous: books, newspapers, videos, magazine, overhead transparencies, candles, batteries, lasers, engravings, lithographs, paintings, silk screens, microscope, telescope, toys, food, wine or beer making
Now if you have answered the questions honestly you should have a complete list that will show patterns which will show what type of work you are destined to do. If you have found your interest to be in films and camera this will be quite obvious from your lists. Now you need to refine and focus on these skills sets
Cutting Down the Territory
Now, let’s look at the knowledge you already have. Go through the list that will follow and add your knowledge to it, then go through the list once more and list the knowledge you would like to have. This will give you two things; what you already know and what you want to know in the future. The last one will show your educational goals for the future, this may be areas that you think you would enjoy if you had some further education.
There is no reason why you cannot get this further education by doing courses or programs or start a job in the entry level of that particular profession. Quite often a company will pay for your future education if it is of benefit to them and their industry.
So here are some things to think about; psychology, chemistry, physics, cinema, foreign language, management, personal recruiting, insurance benefits, geography, history, art, broadcasting, accounting, taxes, marketing, sales, computer programming, aerobics, graphic arts, religion, horticulture, government contracts, politics, teaching, interior design, architecture, vehicle repair, travel, systems analysis, astronomy, research, packaging and distribution, import/export, merchandising, machine operation, graphic arts, photography
You need to first list the different fields you like the most arranged in order of which you have the most knowledge in. Then list the fields you think you would like but need further education, keep these lists separate.
It important to look at location and then decide on whether you are happy where you live or whether you want to go somewhere else. You must look at where there are jobs available that suit your skill sets. You won’t get far if you have found the perfect job but hate where you live, so in finding a good job you need to ensure it’s in a location that you like.
You should sit down and think about the top five locations you would really like to live, then narrow down what part of the location you would like to live in. You can search the internet or talk with the local chamber of commerce for that place to get information on the area and the businesses in the area that may have employment that suits you skills. If you are able to, visit the area and have a look around and gather further information.
You then need to do your resume, you can find so much information about how to write a good one, so research it and write it in the way that has been suggested. If you want to you can list the skills you have rather than the places you have worked as this may tell a prospective employer more about you.
Obviously, you don’t want to move to an area that does not have the job opportunities that you want, so you need to thoroughly research this before you even contemplate moving to an area.
It is then a good idea to find contacts in these particular fields, find out if there are places to look for work such as job centres or phone lines and once you have identified some businesses you may like to work with in the future, make sure you contact them and give them a copy of your resume, even if they don’t currently have an opening, they will think of you when they do.
Free Career and Job Opportunity Information
For anyone who is looking to get information on the jobs and careers available in a location there is a lot of free information out there. You can phone for information or research it on the internet. Look at the following list these may give you some ideas on where to go for information. To get the best information the only thing stopping you is where to look.
Art Conservation and Museum Careers
Office of Museum Programs
Smithsonian Institution
900 Jefferson Dr. SW
Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357–3101
Aviation Careers
Aviation Education Officer
Federal Aviation Administration
U.S. Dept. of Transportation
800 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20591
(202) 267–3469
Coast Guard Training
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Dept. of Transportation
Aeronautical Center
MPB 237, P.O. Substation 18
Oklahoma City, OK 73169–6999
(405) 680–4265
Creative Writers Publishing Grants
Literature Program
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Room 723
Washington, DC 20506
(202) 682–5451
Grants range from $2,000 to $50,000.
Criminal Justice Career Opportunities
Order the guidebook Criminal Justice Careers from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, (202) 783–3238 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (202) 783–3238 Cost is $7.00.
Disease Control & Environmental Health Training
Training and Laboratory Program Office
Centers for Disease Control
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639–2142
Employment in Transportation
Central Employment Office
Office of Personnel
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street SW Room 9113
Washington, DC 20590
(202) 366–9417
Fish Husbandry Training Academy
National Fisheries Center
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Box 700
Kearneysville, WV 25430
(304) 725–8461 ext. 5333
Indians and Job Training
Office of Tribal Services
Bureau of Indian Affairs
U.S. Department of the Interior
18th and C Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208–2570
International Trade Commission Jobs
Office of Personnel
U.S. International Trade Commission
500 E St. SW Room 314
Washington, DC 20436
(202) 205–2651
Jobs for Seniors 55 and Up
Office of Special Targeted Programs
Employment & Training Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave. NW Room N4643
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 219–5904
Job Training and Employment Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Employment & Training
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave. NW Room S2321
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 219–6236
Matching Yourself with the Workworld
Superintendent of Documents
Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20402
(202) 783–3238
$1.00 publication.
Migrant & Seasonal Farmworker Opportunities
Employment & Training Administration
U.S. Dept. of Labor
200 Constitution Ave. NW Room N4641
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 219–5500
National Computerized Job Bank
United States Employment Service
Employment and Training Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave. NW Room N4456
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 219–4389
Oceanographic Corps Jobs
Commission Personnel Division, NOAA Corps
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
11400 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 443–8905
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Maritime Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation– Kings Point
Long Island, NY 11024
(516) 773–5000
Veteran’s Employment and Training Help
Veteran’s Employment and Training Service
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave. NW Room S1315
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 219–9116
