The Clash was really on to something with their song titled, Career Opportunities. They sing, “Career opportunities are the ones that never knock. Every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock.” If you are on the employment hunt, whether looking for a job that suits your talents and needs, or trying to find someone that suits your company’s talents and needs, the hunt can seem like pure drudgery. Well, knock off the drudge and pull up your bootstraps because it doesn’t have to be that way! Get energized about the employment hunt with some help from a few popular songs about work. A little added pick-me-up if you will, to ease you out of that drudge. Feel free to sing along.
The Hunter a.k.a. Job Candidates
“Workin’ 9 to 5. What a way to make a livin’! Barely gettin’ by, its all takin’ and no givin’.”
~Dolly Parton, 9 to 5
Few of us have the luxury of striking gold or receiving a hefty inheritance, which leaves the only other option for survival – getting a job! As a potential candidate, there are ways you can make this employment hunt easy on yourself. Lets look at some of them.
Career Advice
“Just whistle while you work. Put on that grin and start right in to whistle loud and long.”
~Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Whistle While You Work
Losing a job can be a painful blow, both to your ego and your wallet. If you’ve prepared for the worst, you may have enough savings to sustain you for the duration of your employment hunt. If becoming unemployed was a total surprise, you may be scrambling, and unemployment benefits are rarely a match for what your previous salary was. The first thing you can do is to take a deep breath and believe you’ll find something soon. Then begin the employment hunt with a skip in your step and song in your heart. Make sure your LinkedIn and other social media accounts are up to date so you can begin networking. While everyone wants the perfect job, it may not be available at first, or you may have to take a few side steps to get there. Consider what is most important to you, such as salary, benefits, location, advancement opportunities or schedule. Don’t be afraid to take a job that doesn’t meet all of those requirements; find one that matches what you can’t live without.
Resumes
“You’ve Got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positives, eliminate the negative, and latch on to the affirmative, don’t mess with Mister in-between.”
~Aretha Franklin, Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positives
It’s not easy trying to fit everything awesome about yourself onto one or two pages. If it were, there wouldn’t be so many companies offering resume writing help. Updating your resume and making it stand out is a vital step in the employment hunt. Your goal with your resume is to immediately draw attention to yourself and your career accomplishments. It is important that your resume is individualized and puts your best foot forward. Nothing will get your resume tossed faster than a copied version of some resume template. Customize your resume to the job you are seeking. Everyone puts detail-oriented, hard-working, and team player as their skills, instead try to find skills you have that are specific to the company’s needs and be sure to include how you have used those skills in the past.
Interviewing
“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Stand a little taller, doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone.”
~Kelly Clarkson, Stronger
If you made it to the interview stage, congratulations! You must have taken our advice on jazzing up your resume. While an interview can make or break you, don’t sweat it too much. A little preparation goes a long way. Research the company well before the interview. Intelligent comments or questions about what the company is currently doing show your level of interest. Take time to prepare a few responses to some generic interview questions. There are thousands of resources available with possible interview questions listed. You will more than likely get asked a variation of these questions so having an answer planned will help you avoid the “Umms” and “I don’t knows.” Practice interviewing. If you can’t afford to hire someone to help you with a mock interview, get a friend to do it. Then before the big day, take a deep breath and relax - you got this! Your employment hunt is one step closer to it’s end.
