Helpful Tips in Applying for a Job

Visiting card, business card, name card

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As with any kind of job hunt, a candidate needs to stand out from the crowd. Being creative and having a sense of humor are good weapons to have in the arsenal for any profession.

One good way people promote themselves is through business cards. But they get lost or thrown away and nobody misses them. Make a bigger card, so it doesn’t fit in a stack with the rest and it’ll be noticed more often. Whether it’s travel nurse programs or public school nursing that’s being applied to, getting noticed is key.

Ruth Smith, a freelance writer transplanted in Portland, Oregon promotes her background to get her foot in the door. She has a cover letter that’s a light-hearted explanation of who she is. She says it works nearly every time she sends it out.

Bank on Experiences

A short version of it says she raised her kids and a gang of foster kids and something got into her. She sold all their stuff, got rid of all but the smallest kids, the pets and her husband and they went to Alaska and lived in a tent, and she found a lot to write about. Ten years later, she’s still writing. Of course it’s more entertaining the way she says it, but it’s a good conversation starter with clients, and the thing is, the paragraph is true. People all over are interested in Alaska-living and it draws interest to her.

Another good idea is to use quality paper for the cover letter and resume. Using bright white copy paper is cheap, sure, but it doesn’t stand out from the crowd. After spending so much money in medical school, getting good quality paper is important.

It’s all in appearances, at first, so make a good impression.

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Finding A Job

Just because you are without a job doesn’t mean that it’s time for panic to set in. While it’s a tough feeling to know that you are no longer with a means to make money you have to know that a job doesn’t define you. What defines you is who you are so before you go ahead and get the tightness in the chest and the bad case of depression you can take the necessary steps to get yourself a job. 

First thing you should be doing is writing out an email to friends and family. Make sure that the tone is positive. Make sure that you are feeling good and acting well about who you are and what is going on. Let them know that you are without a job and that you would like a job. People are always willing to help you so don’t think that this is begging.

Next you need to make sure that your resume is up to date. Don’t worry if it needs a little work and as a matter of fact you would be best sending your resume to someone you know and trust in that area. Let them look it over and make adjustments to it. You can never have too much help when it comes to your job prospects.

If you are going to turn in a resume you will want to make sure that you are doing what you can to say hello to them. Don’t do it online. Try to go in person whenever possible and bring your best self. You are worthy of a job and it’s time you started acting like it.

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Getting Ahead at Work

Getting ahead at your job might seem a lot harder than it actually is. While there are different degrees of difficulty when it comes to your job and the company that you work for, getting ahead is not anything that hasn’t been explored for decades. While there are some black hat tricks that can get you ahead you don’t have to resort to being a bad person so that you do well at your job. Just some simple rules are all it takes to be the best you can be.

First thing you need to remember is that there is nothing that will get you on the map faster than hard work. Sure, people notice the charming person in the office and the person who is the smoothest but people always notice the one worker who is going above and beyond as much as possible. An employer knows that the one thing that you cannot teach a person is how to have a good work ethic and if you are good enough to have that they will certainly take notice.

Asking for more work and more responsibility is an easy way to put yourself on the map. Everyone wants to be at a higher level and to have more to do but putting yourself up there and saying that you aren’t concerned about the money but rather about the work means the most to you. Getting ahead at your job is not nearly as hard as it seems. Hard work will always pay off.

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How to Network

You hear a lot about networking. Everyone talks about it and it’s the biggest buzz word these days but what do you really know about networking? They say that networking can lead you to things like a better job or influence, it’s supposed to make your life better in some way shape or form, but in most cases you don’t have any of that. Are you not networking well enough or does it not work at all?

The truth is that you have to make sure to remember that networking online is just a word. Celebrities take facebook friends all the time but that doesn’t mean that you are networking with them. It’s about building relationships and contacts and that is part in parcel to how you make networking work for you.

The first thing you have to remember is that once you meet a person to not be thinking of them as a contact. People deserve respect and if you aren’t willing to treat them with respect then there is nothing worth getting to know them for. You will want to strike up an honest and good conversation with them. You don’t have to get deep but you should make sure that you connect with them at least on a business level.

In the end if you are to get their contact information it’s nice to send them a friendly email and let them know you enjoyed meeting them and you look forward to seeing them down the road. It’s called being polite and that is what networking is really all about.

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