Great Union

Source: JobsDB

The cover letter attached to your resume is your first self-introduction to the hiring manager of your desire company. So make it great.

Cover letters provide you a chance to draw the attention of your prospective employers and demonstrate the qualities that stand you out from the rest of the candidates. Your cover letter should complement your resume by highlighting the most relevant aspects relating to the position. If you are not sure of the qualities or skills required, try to work out what they are likely to be or consider a similar position you have seen elsewhere.

Before you hit the “send” button, have a look at these checklist items to ensure your cover letter is good to go.

Cover Letter Checklist

Length
One A4 page, well-spaced, text aligned to both left and right.

Language
Be clear and concise. Use strong verbs which demonstrate action and accomplishments, such as “organize” and “supervise”.

Name, Title and Address
Find out the details of the contact person (including all spelling) in the organization and address your letter accordingly. Don’t forget to include your address, phone number and email.

Layout
State clearly the position you’re applying for in the introduction. Commence with the reference number, followed by your reason for applying and a summary of your unique skills/qualifications.

Substance
Identify your skills, experience and attributes that match what the employer wants. Look for keywords in the advertisement and address the main elements. For example, the advertisement might say: “This position requires an outgoing person with demonstrated capacity to work in a team”. The keywords here are “outgoing”, “demonstrated” and “team”. Show you meet these essential criteria to increase your chances of an interview.

Proofreading
Essentially you need to stand out from the rest, but not by misspelling the company’s name! So proofread, and proofread again!

Source: JobsDB

上一輩打工仔思維覺得，為同一位僱主服務數十年，成為組織的核心成員，盡忠職守直至退休，是一件很光榮的事情。然而，隨著現今科技日新月異，時代和社會急速發展，一本通書讀到老的模式已不再適合。在現今社會，如沒有升職而做同一個職位四年多，真的要轉工作時，競爭力很可能會落後於水平。如果你發現自己也開始出現以下的狀況，便是時候想想要不要離開現時的職位了！

1. 能力沒有進步
人的天性是傾向處於安穩，我們能純熟地掌握工作的技巧，便沒有動力去學習新事物；久而久之，會變得固步自封，亦是僱主最不希望請到的員工類型。

2. 履歷表上沒有工作經驗
在履歷表上擁有豐富的工作經驗（而非頻繁轉工），在找工作時是絕對的優勢。但如果工作經驗寥寥可數，在新崗位時工作也會較難上手。

3. 形成負面印象
在同一間公司待得太久，很容易會予人一些負面的刻板印象，如「那麼多年有學習到新事物嗎？」雖然這些未必是事實，但很難避免新僱主在篩選時也會這樣想。

4. 跟不上科技進步
市場上幾乎任何一個職位都使用電腦，但通常一間機構購置了一套軟件或硬件後，就會一直沿用下去。如果十多年以來是在用Windows XP，新工作要使用Mac，可能隨時連滑鼠也不會用。

5. 人際網絡較窄
除非工作的性質是以對人為主，否則同一份職位做太久，便難以擴大人際網絡，找新工作時也較難提供數位推薦人。

6. 對自己的定位認知模糊
找工作的過程能讓自己更了解自己的專長、甚麼公司需要自己、自己在市場上值多少錢。相反，離開求職市場越久，便會越不清楚自己在市場上的定位。

7. 適應力較弱
我們每次轉工作，都要重新適應新的工作環境，能力就是這樣提升的。如果很少轉工，鍛鍊自己學習能力的機會也會相應減少。

8. 失去工作熱誠
懂得自我鞭策的人畢竟不多，大部分人都是由環境逼使自己激發潛能的。如果連自己都安於年復年地做著同樣的工作，就沒有東西能驅使自己繼續進步了。

9. 忘記工作以外的世界
每年重覆做著一樣的工作很容易使我們把焦點放在公司，以為工作就是自己的生活。其實世界很大，每一個人值得擁有更多的可能性，做更有趣的事呢！

Unique Selling Point (or USP) is a marketing idea developed to benefit people in business improve their sales. As a job seeker, you also have something to sell: YOURSELF!

These five tips will help you to improve your CV by using your USPs and help you get an interview.

1) What does the employer want?
When reading, a job advert you should work out what your audience (i.e. the employers) are looking for. Read the

• Job title
• Advert content
• Person specification

These will show the qualifications, experience and skills that the employers need. How does your career history fit these requirements?

2) Get your message out there
This is significant. You might be a brilliant candidate, but if the key people do not know that you are available then you will lose out.
How to let employers know you’re looking for work:

• Apply directly for jobs advertised on websites
• Networking: catch up with your supervisor, colleagues, academic contacts and let them all know you’re on the job market

3) Respond to feedback
If you’ve been job hunting for a while, you might have had a few interviews already. Even if you fail you can still get feedback on your performance. This feedback can be used to improve your chances of getting a job in the future. Either change your CV to make it more attractive or improve your interview skills

4) Know your competition
Job hunting, just like selling, is a competition. If you are constantly knocked back then perhaps you need to learn from your competition on how they succeed when you have not.

So, share job hunting techniques with your peers. Speak to people in your field who have been recently employed. But don’t give too much away to people who will be applying for the same jobs as you!

5) Eliminate weaknesses
If you know that the profile you present to employers is weak in some way, work hard to improve it.

• Polish your CV
• Improve your interview technique
• Write better cover letters
• Present your skills/knowledge base better
• Develop your own career by going on courses, learning new skills.

Source: The Guardian

Landing the perfect new job is always challenging, so it’s not surprising that candidates scour the internet for hints and tips. But we no longer need to be told to proof read CVs and write a cover letter for every application; we’ve heard that advice hundreds of times before. Implementing some lesser-known tactics into your job search, however, can help you gain an advantage over the competition. The following job hunting tips aren’t so well publicized and could help you secure an attractive job offer.

It’s a numbers game

In today’s jobs market, employers have plenty of candidates to choose from and they often receive hundreds of applications per vacancy. So, the odds of applying for just one job and securing it are slim to none. Applying for several jobs at once, and getting your CV in front of as many hiring managers as possible, will maximize your chances. You still need to be selective about the roles you apply for, but scout out as many suitable opportunities as you can. Set a daily or weekly application goal, track the openings, and make timely follow-ups.

Always modify your CV

Sending a tailored covering letter is a well-known job hunting tip, but are you doing this with your CV? Relevance is crucial when applying for any job. Your CV is most likely targeted towards one profession or industry, but no two jobs will be equivalent.

Whenever you apply for a role, take a few minutes to check your CV against the job advert and look for any potential improvements you can make. For example, if you are hiding a crucial qualification at the bottom of your CV, move it to the top and make it prominent. Tailoring your CV for every application may take a little more effort, but it’s better use of time than making 10 generic applications that may not attract the attention you need.

Don’t rely solely on job websites

Job websites are obviously a great source of vacancies and should feature in your job search. But the adverts on major job sites receive extremely high volumes of applications, meaning your CV can often get lost among them.

Online networks are a great alternative to job sites. Millions of recruiters actively search for candidates on LinkedIn, so you can’t afford not to have a presence on there. As well as connecting with prospective employers on the professional networking site, you can obtain recommendations from previous managers, giving recruiters the confidence to trust you.

Tracking down potential employers and sending speculative applications is a great way to sidestep the crowded job boards. This method requires perseverance because not every company you approach will be hiring. But it only takes one successful approach to land an interview.

It is also worth getting on the radar of reputable recruiters in your industry, as you never know when they might have a suitable opportunity.

Pick up the phone

In the digital age, it can sometimes seem a little old fashioned to approach a recruiter by telephone, but it’s still an effective method. If you’ve made an application online and haven’t had a reply in a few days, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. A friendly follow-up call with the recruiter will allow you to draw attention to your CV, and begin to build a relationship with them. It’s not always easy to find direct line telephone numbers, but a search on LinkedIn or the company website is a good way to start.