Tips to get a job fast

By Bill

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Pinpoint your ideal position and what it will take to land it. Know your skills, pay needs and learn about the employer.

Just started looking for a job? Mark your calendar for January, because that should be just about when you will start your new gig.

No joke. The U.S. Department of Labor reports it takes the average American about four months to find a job. January is four months away.
 

So what if you could slash months from that search and be sitting thankful around Thanksgiving with a new job?

You already have some positive job search karma on your side.
Unemployment is low — 4.7 percent. And companies nationwide are hiring at an active pace, with 28 percent of employers saying they will add workers to their payrolls through December, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. In Indianapolis, 33 percent say they will hire more.
 

Of course, unemployment rates and hiring are out of your control, but there are some things you can do. Take note of these five tips to quickly get the job you want.

Dedicate yourself.
The average job seeker spends fewer than 15 hours a week looking for a job and in the end gets two job interviews, says Michael Farr, author of “The Very Quick Job Search.”

If you are serious about finding the right job, you have to be willing to invest the time. If you don’t have a job now, make your career search a 40-hour-a-week assignment. If you do, spend nights and weekends doing the research. The more openings you find, the more resumes you send, the more interviews you will get.
 

“The bottom line is that people who spend more time on their job search will usually get jobs faster,” Farr says.

 

Get real about pay.
“A lot of times, people think they will get a 30, 40, 50 percent raise in salary just because they are changing jobs,” says Gary Daugenti, president of JustSTAFF, an executive search firm in Los Altos, Calif.

If you’re making $30,000 now and think you can get a new job paying $50,000, plan on your job search lasting a few years, he says.

Know the going rate for the position you’re considering, and see if it’s one you could live with. Don’t expect the employer to think you’re so great that he will plump the pay just for you.
 

One of the quickest ways to get weeded out of the interview process is to ask for a salary that’s too high.

Search familiar territory.
 

Target your industry. If you are in the pharmaceutical sales industry, don’t go for a job with a company making auto parts. That drastic change won’t appeal to employers, who are looking for familiarity.

“They’re looking for your experience,” says Daugenti. “They’re looking for your contacts.”
 

That doesn’t mean you have to move to the same position at a different company. For example, if you are an accountant sick of accounting and want to go into sales, look for a company that sells accounting software.
Your expertise in the industry gives you a leg up.

Know yourself.
 

People have to understand what they do well.
“Know your strengths, and how they can be applied to the corporate environment,” says Jeff Hawn, managing partner at Princeton One Search in Columbus, Ohio.

Someone who doesn’t enjoy public speaking shouldn’t go into sales. Someone who is great with numbers and can do Excel spreadsheets in her sleep should look at finance or controller jobs.
 

Mesh your skills and preferences with an open job, and say it loud and clear in the cover letter. When you get the interview, your enthusiasm for the job will naturally show through.

Know the company.
 

Forty-seven percent of executives say having little or no knowledge of the company is the most common mistake job seekers make, according to Accountemps.

Before you go on an interview, search the company’s Web site and find out a few facts about what’s going on. Are mergers pending? A community cause the company is tied to? You don’t need to rattle off details at the interview, but it helps to sound knowledgeable when asked, “What do you know about our company?”