Employment

While the employment market has always been evolving, the biggest change in the last few years is undoubtedly the arrival of the Internet as an employment search tool.

Remember all these long hours spent looking through small employment ads in newspapers? Now with the click of a mouse, you can search through hundreds of employment ads, get e-mail alerts matching your employment search criteria and post your resume to dozens of employment sites.

Using the Internet also allows to save on paper, envelopes and stamps as e-mails & web forms can now be used for employment applications and to "blast" your resume to employers that are currently hiring.

You can also use social sites such as "My Space" to do networking - not only do some of these sites feature employment sections but they often allow you to join industry & employment help groups where you can get in touch with industry insiders & employment professionals.

Another advantage of using the Internet for employment purpose, besides having an easy access to an increased number of job openings is that, by decreasing the time spent on the employment search itself, you can spend more time on other important employment tasks.

The first employment step you should focus on is definitely resume writing. While most employment seekers assume that once their resume is done, they shouldn't worry about it anymore and just focus on the employment search, one of the keys to finding employment quickly is to customize your resume and cover letters to the jobs you're applying to. Even many work from home opportunities requires resumes!

While you might not need to create a new resume for every single employment application, it is however strongly recommended to have several versions of your resume focusing on different aspects of your employment experience or strengths.

Preparing for job interviews is also essential. Not only should you do your homework by learning more about the companies you're applying to, which can be done by scanning their websites, but you should also check their employment page to make sure the job description hasn't changed.

You should also be ready to demonstrate in detail how great a fit you are for the opening and what added value you will bring. Prepare some pertinent employment-related questions to show you are interested in the company - those questions should be about the job or the industry, rather than about employment benefits or vacation days.

Making a good first impression is a must in todays employment market. Having good manners, being well groomed and dressing the part are determinant when it comes to finding employment. Suits and dresses are still the mandatory employment dress for most industries but you might be able to dress down if you work in fields such as the Internet, computers, entertainment and arts.