Week 2 - Job Hunting Skills from What Color is Your Parachute

Hello Everyone!

Beginning with chapter one of “what color is your parachute? 2016” it reads, “It’s a Whole New World for Job-Hunters”. First thought was hmm…what can this be about. Not going to lie, the first half of the chapter was quite intimidating as it mainly discussed the recession we faced back in 2008. Besides some of the scary statistics it had some information at the end that I found rather interesting and potentially useful.

                                                          

The last section for chapter one is “The Key ideas for Successful Job-Hunting in the 21^st Century”, holding eighteen useful principles when searching for a job or interviewing. Sorting through all of them I found seven principles to be worthy of sharing (In no particular order).

1.       You Are the Given.

·         Go the creative route where you are the given, finding a job that fits you

2.       Search for What You Love, Not Just for What you Can Do.

·         “It is not what skills you can do that matters most; it’s what skills you love to use, among all those you can do”. This to me sounds like the lingo coming straight from Master Yoda himself.

3.     In approaching an Organization, Try to Avoid the HR (Human Resources) Department, If They Have One.

·         Part of HR’s job is to eliminate the thousands of resumes they receive, allowing for less work for the person who actually has a big say in the hiring process. Keep in mind HR=Eliminate. Try to avoid HR and go straight to the man or woman that can hire you.

4.       Keep In Mind That An Interview There Are Only Five Questions an Employer Is Really Concerned About.

·         Be prepared and answer these five questions ahead of time. Why are you here? What can you do for us? What kind of person are you? What distinguishes you from others? Can we afford you?

5.       Notice Time in an Interview.

·         Half and Half: Only talk half the time and listen the other half. Don’t sound conceited.

·         20 to 2: When answering a question do it within 20 seconds to 2 minutes at most.

6.       Always Send a Thank-You Note the Same Day.

·         Simple. Quick. Effective.

7.       Always Have Alternatives

·         Don’t be discourages if you get shot down, there are endless possibilities. 

 Hope everyone found these seven principles to be helpful for when on the job hunt or even preparing for the next job interview. 

Anyone looking for the book, here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2016/dp/160774662X/

-STURCO