Hump Day Hunting Help: August 17, 2011

by Kassandra McGhee on August 17th, 2011

Hump Day Hunting Help:  August 17, 2011

Tip of the Week:  Help, My Job Search Needs a Check-up 

Every now and then it’s good to check the vitals on your job search.  And like any good check-up, a thorough review is necessary to ensure all systems are functioning to their optimum capacity. 

Your job search is as complex as your health and involves intricate parts that must function together to get the results you desire.  Begin your job search check-up by examining the following:

Job Search Goal

Review your job search goal for accuracy and relevancy based upon your skills and today’s market.  Keep your job search strong by continuously identifying the skills the market demands and job titles that reflect how you can meet these needs. 

Job Search Plan

A diversified  job search approach which includes a healthy dose of networking is essential for your job search plan.  Continue to check the pulse of the market for new job search sites, trends and ways to promote your skills to employers needing your talent. 

Marketing Collateral

Your resume must be tailored for each position.  Be sure it is properly formatted, updated and includes key words from the job announcement.  Obtain business cards that provide information regarding your expertise, contact information and LinkedIn profile to distribute to networking contacts.

Follow Up

Whether it’s a resume/application submission or an interview, follow up is a vital part of your healthy job search.  Demonstrate to the employer that you are committed to the company by actively pursuing the job opportunity.  Don’t puncture the process, stay engaged from beginning through the end. 

The overall health of your job search is based upon the overall health of each part of your job search system.  So conduct your job search health check-up and make sure it’s strong, healthy and prepared to help you succeed.

Happy Hunting!

Raves & Praise

Christopher Fowler

MCSA

Very thorough, good mix of lecture and lab work. Al is great! Keeps classes interesting and supplements required test material with need-to-know items from real world experience.

Scott Wilson - Team Bradley

Employer Partner Feedback

Dawn has been a pleasure to work with. She is diligent in her efforts to give MicroTrain’s students the best opportunities to connect and network with various companies and players in the job market. The curriculums and certification programs are in line with today’s current IT needs. It’s good to see that they evolve with what employers are most seeking out there. I would recommend to any employer that hires skilled IT workers that they look into MicroTrain’s career services department as a potential source of candidates. The business of hiring can be quite costly, and Dawn and her staff provide a free service to outside companies. This value-add for MicroTrain’s students aligns with their mission in both training and job assistance to set up a win/win scenario for all involved.

Kaycee Ekufu

MCSA

The instructor [Al Khalfan] was very knowledgeable in the field. He presented the materials and concepts with a professional touch. He also frequently adds humor to his teachings, which made it easier for me to understand. The support staff was all nice, gentle, caring, and very helpful. The materials, rooms and amenities were excellent and exceeded expected standards.

David

A Cisco Success Story

I attended a resume writing seminar & conducted mock phone interviews with a Microtrain career counselor. These two activities gave me a leg up on distinguishing myself from all the other people looking for work. Since the career counselor's at Microtrain had a track record of getting people hired, their insight and positive past experiences helped me tremendously in getting hired with a Cisco Voice Systems Integrator in the Chicago area. I was hired as a Cisco Voice Tech Engineer with a starting salary of $65,000 / year with a Cisco voice systems reseller located in the Chicagoland area. Microtrain was very instramental in making this a reality. From expediting my WIA grant, to providing excellent hands-on training from knowledgable instructors I was able to achieve becoming certified with my CCNP. Microtrain's career services was the final catalyst in connecting me with this company by communicating with them on my behalf and with me in setting up the interview. One week later and I was hired. No joke. Thanks Microtrain!

Jean S.

PMP Certification Training, Lombard, 2008

I was laid off for many months and not really getting many callbacks for my resume and no job offers. After I put the letters PMP on it, not only did I see an increase in quantity, but also quality of interviews. I had been spinning my wheels for 5 months, and after the PMP went on, I had 2 job offers in 6 weeks. It really was the "golden ticket"

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