5 Reasons to Kick Your Search into High Gear in December

Now you have a great opportunity to get ahead with your job search, yet....

Every year I hear countless job seekers say the same thing, “I am going to put my job search on hold until after the Holidays.”

Unfortunately, this is yet another example of conventional wisdom misfiring. Here are some of the reasons that “suspending” your search in December will do more damage than good:

• I have never seen a December in the search business that wasn’t extremely busy – good economy or bad. Many companies are trying to get positions filled before year’s end because of budgets or potentially losing the headcount. The latter is of particular concern right now, given the state of the economy and new job creation.
• During December, there are multiple opportunities to network through holiday parties. The amount of people you can reach out and touch is two to three times that of any other time of the year. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of it?
• Think of your job search as a sales and marketing campaign. You should be creating “buzz” about your product – you! You have worked hard building up this “buzz” – so why stop now? Again, think about all the people gathering and networking (social or otherwise) this month. Don’t you want to remain top of mind?
• People are conditioned to connecting and re-connecting over the holidays. Combine this with a more charitable sprit and your networking efforts are made much easier. As many push their workloads off until the New Year, making introductions, renewing connections and touching base is much easier. Why wait until after January 1, when everyone is battling a pile of December’s procrastination on their desk?
• For those companies who aren’t going to hire until January 2010, staying top of mind right now is even more important. Simply put, who has a better chance of landing the job – the person who has been in touch, networking and establishing rapport over December –or- the person who makes their first contact via email on January 2?

ExecuNet cited that executive level searches are taking upwards of 10 months in this market and the average job search is 2.5 – 3 weeks per 10K in annualized salary. Networking is key to shaving months off this average for yourself and a large part of my coaching programs (3 months is the average for my clients – even at the C level).

So, this is no time to rest!

Keep building on that momentum you have worked to build in 2009 for your job search. If one of your resolutions for 2010 is to make a career move, there is no better time to get a leg up on the competition.

Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.kevinkermes.com

Learn more about how to effectively network for jobs - even in December!

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Pre-Interview Checklist

Get properly organized with your pre-interview checklist:

Things you should do – at least a week in advance:

• Confirm your attendance at the interview;
• Choose an outfit appropriate to the organisation and the occasion;
• Take your outfit to the dry cleaners if required;
• Get your hair cut or styled;
• Decide how you are going to travel to the interview.

If you are traveling by road:

• Plan your journey – check road works or other possible delays;
• Ensure that you have enough fuel for the journey;
• Check parking arrangements at the interview location.

If you are traveling by train:

• Book your ticket in advance;
• Find out about taxi availability at the other end.

Whichever way you intend to get to your interview, you must make sure that nothing, except last minute emergencies, prevents you from attending. If a problem does arise last minute, phone ahead and explain at the first possible opportunity.

Things to do – on the evening before the interview:

• Press/iron your outfit;
• Clean your shoes;
• Cut and clean your nails;
• Avoid alcohol or spicy foods;
• Set your alarm clock.

In a pre-interview checklist, the first secret of success is to arrive on time, and the second is to dress suitably. This does not necessarily mean dressing up but you should dress smartly and conventionally. Think about the firm or organization that you are going to for your interview.

Is it an old established firm that have very strict policies on dress and appearance or is it a trendy new company that prefers its employees to be up-to-date? Whatever you decide to wear ensure that you are neat and tidy and that you feel comfortable. Record what you intend to wear on your pre-interview checklist.

Items to take with you:

• A copy of the job advertisement;
• A copy of your CV and application letter;
• A map showing the location of the interview;
• Any relevant company/product literature;
• The names and job titles of the interviewers;
• Your diary to make an appointment for 2nd interview;
• Copies of reports, or examples of your work, to refer to;
• Suitable referee details;
• Pen and paper.

Because you take all of these items with you doesn't mean that they have to be produced unless asked for. Do not start putting new papers or drawings in front of an interviewer unless they ask to see wht you have fought along.

After the Interview:

1. Make a list of any action points that were agreed in the interview.
2. Make a written evaluation of the performance of both parties (you and the interviewer).
3. Write or email (as appropriate) a letter to the interviewer, thanking them for their time and expressing a continuing interest in the position.

Written Evaluation:

• How did I do?
• What did I learn?
• What could I have done better?
• Any outstanding questions I should have asked?

Not every interview will go perfectly, but every interview is a learning opportunity so be honest with yourself when you evaluate what happened. Learn from any interview mistakes and you will improve next time.

When you use a pre-interview checklist like this it saves you from having to think about and remember all of the details for your interview. Creating a list doesn't suit everybody, but most people will find it to be quite helpful. It is also a great idea to draw up an interview profile to get the interview itself firmly fixed in your mind.

Learn to Fly with Flight Simulator

Before you learn to fly it is a good idea to try out your ambition on a flight simulator. With the strong technological advancement that has gone into the whole area of flight simulation, it is a positive way to try your hand before you start paying out to learn to fly. Even if you don't want to become a pilot, but just love the idea of flying, then using a flight simulator can be great fun. As those with more experience are probably aware, additional products and add-ons are available to make the whole game simulation much more fun.

Game controls are indeed technical to get to know at first, but with fast keyboard commands and joysticks, pretty soon your flight will take off for you. Inspiring for those just learning to use simulators, the flight simulator game is a brilliant first introduction to the concept of flying.

However, for the more experienced, the joysticks will more likely be a main feature of game play. And after trainees learn to fly, they’ll surely want the advanced kinds of controls.

Good simulators take extras and bonuses in their stride, with life-like effects on runways and time zones; essentially means that flying is as realistic as possible; and the experience is very much what you make of it. Of course, once you get used to the dials & controls, and have picked your flight of choice, then it’s really just a matter of putting your experience to practice and gaining height as you take off flying.

Based in the main on real maps and charts, landmarks on simulators tend to be exceptional; with real display panels and controls, the entire flight from start to finish (including all the skyline in between) is bound to be a great learning curve and something of an experience that’ll make you want to return to your game - time and again.

As a passion that seems to stem mostly from a young age, the budding pilots who want to gain more experience and learn to fly, can now do so with the assistance of advanced flight simulators, so no matter if you’re a novice or someone who’s clocked up a few pilots hours, the flight Simulator is designed to get the pulse racing. Before you learn to fly it is a good idea to try out your ambition on a flight simulator. With the strong technological advancement that has gone into the whole area of flight simulation, it is a positive way to try your hand before you start paying out to learn to fly.

Flight Pro Sim is the latest fully featured flight simulator game to be released. Now you can take control of a commercial airliner, a fighter jet or even a hobby craft and soar through the clouds to new heights.