Choosing a Career with Benefits

BERLIN - OCTOBER 12: A dentist and her assist... 

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So, you’ve graduated from college! Congratulations are in order. Now, you need to put all that education to work for you, right? You may have just the job in mind but the positions don’t usually include any benefits. Is that really all that important? You bet it is!

Ask About the Benefits

In your job search, don’t forget to ask about benefits. Often companies that may pay a little less make up for it in terrific benefits. Do you own a cell phone? Is it a Cricket Android? Use it to access the Internet and search for careers with benefits. Actually, Cricket is a company that gives its employees great benefits; you don’t even have to work full-time.

Types of Benefits

The main benefits that companies usually offer are healthcare, life insurance and some kind of retirement programs. All of these are important in today’s world; especially with healthcare. One of the nation’s main educators on financial management teaches that the earlier you start working on retirement, the less you will have to put away since time works for you. If an employer participates in matching funds, you should take full advantage of it; it’s like getting free money!

Other Benefits

Some employers offer benefits such as health club memberships. This is very advantageous to both employer and employee as it tends to cut down on sick time. Offers from employers to help pay for continuing education or higher degrees is quite beneficial too. Helping with adoption fees is another rare but extremely useful benefit to those who need it.

Just remember: benefits are beneficial!

 

 

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Send a Thank You Note, Even if You Did Not Get the Job

With the job market is so small and the numbers of people look for a job so large, it is more important than ever to stand out from all the other potential employees. Since a lot of communication is now done over the computer, a great way to stand out from the crowd is to make sure you follow the old rules of sending a thank you note after you have had an interview. But, here’s the thing, you should send this thank you note whether you got the job or not. And, this should be a real thank you card that you send through the mail, with a handwritten note inside. Do not send a thank you email.

Address

The letter should be sent directly to the person you interviewed with. If you interviewed with more than one person, choose the one person that you spent the most time with. If you went through a recruiter, check with that person before sending the thank you card to avoid uncomfortable feelings.

Content

Use an opening sentence that grabs the reader. You just might impress the interviewer to recommend you for another position. In your note, you should ask what you can do to improve yourself for future employment opportunities with the company. It is also a good idea to congratulate the interviewer for finding the right person for the job and wish them well in the future. To enhance your chances of future interviews at that company, talk about the business and how you foresee the job you were interested in being important to the company’s growth. End the note by thanking the person for thier time and provide your ocntact information for future interviews.

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5 Interview Tips to Land That Job

Many people will argue that your resume is the key to landing a great job, but others will say it’s the interview. Both are the first impressions a company will receive on you, so both really need to be great. Interviews make many people nervous, but with these tips and some practice, you’ll do great.

Research the Company
Get online and research the company you are interviewing with. It’s even better if you can speak with current and past employees of the company. This way, you can pull in specific information about the company during your interview, which shows the interviewer that you are extremely interested in the job. Some interviewers will even ask you what you know about the company.

Make Eye Contact
During the interview, remember to maintain eye contact with the interviewer. This is an indication of confidence, respect, and that you are determined to land the job.

Relate
When answering interview questions, try to relate your answers to the company, position, or interviewer. Focus on your achievements and skills that are relevant to the position you are applying for to show how you are perfect for the job.

You Should Ask Questions Too
To show how much you are interested in the job, you should always ask questions about the company and the position. Good questions to ask an interviewer include:

•    Why is the position open?
•    What are some of the more difficult problems that come up in this job?
•    What are the advancement possibilities for a person that is successful in this position?
•    What would you like to see handled differently by the next person who fills this job?

Practice
There are hundreds of websites that provide interview questions. Sit with a friend or family member and have them as you questions so you can prepare some great answers. Now go get ‘em!

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3 Ways to Improve Your Resume

It is really important to have a resume that stands out from the crowd, but many people don’t know how to improve their resume. In a time when people are applying to multiple jobs at once and are in competition with as many as a hundred other people to land a job, it is important that you have a really great resume. Your resume is the first impression a potential employer will have of you, so you need to make it great.

Unique Resume for Each Position
One of the biggest mistakes a job seeker will do is to have one resume that they send to every position they are applying for. You should learn a little bit about each company and the position you are applying for and tailor your resume to that specific job. Use keywords in your resume that match the open position so that your resume will only show your skills that are relevant for each specific job.

Unique Cover Letter for Each Position
The same goes for cover letters as what was said above for resumes. Do not send a can cover letter. Instead, use keywords from the job posting to highlight why you are perfect for the job. Point out your specific skills and assets for each job, which will probably differ for every job you apply for. Cover letters don’t have to be huge, just a couple paragraphs to highlight your skills is fine.

Readability
Your resume needs to be easily read, faxed, scanned, and printed. It is preferable to use size 12 or 11 font, but never use a font smaller than 10.5. Use bullet points to highlight your experience and skills, complete sentences are not required. Also, it is best to use commas and not parentheses. If you need to save space, go ahead and take out the line that says “References: Available upon request”.

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