If you want to get the interview, you need to make your job search a full-time commitment. To be effective, you will need to send out 50-75 resumes EVERY WEEK. Your job leads need to be obtained from a wide range of sources. Use the internet, newspaper ads and networking sources, and consistently be on the look-out for new sources. Going to the same online job board isn’t effective-expand your resources to include every website you can find. Sites like Bodyguard Careers post job openings constantly, and we update the site every few days with new information. Stay in touch with friends or working colleagues who are in the business to learn of opportunities. Often, those who are already employed hear first about job opportunities. If you increase the number of resumes you send out weekly, your chances of landing an interview increases as well! Don’t forget to follow up with a phone call or email. Expressing your enthusiasm for the position in a professional manner is attractive to employers.

A strained economy can mean that employers can choose from top-notch resumes from individuals with the highest number of skills. If your resume lacks in skill sets your employer may be expecting, it is up to you to obtain the experience or knowledge. You can do this by taking classes, volunteering, or perhaps even being mentored by an individual who can help you to obtain the skills or information you need. One of the best ways to meet people and expand your circle of contacts is to volunteer your skills for a celebrity charity. Who would say “no” to a bright, eager, hard-working and trained bodyguard who wants to render services at no charge? One of the most powerful informational tools you can obtain is the Celebrity Black Book (see “Celebrity Contacts,” article, Sept. 19th, 2007). This book can help to expand your resume database. Read all that you can to round out your knowledge on the latest skills. If at all possible, read other resumes to see what your competition has got that you may not. Ask friends in the business to send you their resumes so you can peruse them. Don’t forget, that as in every career, you may need to “pay dues” and take a lower-level position in order to garner experience.

At this time, bodyguards with skills as an EMT or paramedic are extremely valuable. If these are skills you are lacking, sign up for CPR training or take classes in medical emergency procedures. If you live in an area where a high percentage of the population speaks another language, learn that language. Did you know Spanish is the 2nd most used language behind English?

Don’t forget, the strength of your resume lies not only in the content, but also in the clarity and grammar. If you cannot spell, be sure to use spell-check on your resume. Ask a friend who has the writing skills you may lack to look at your resume and cover letter, and offer editing suggestions. Spend the money to work with a professional who can make your materials shine.

Lastly, determine your top three skills, and create different resumes for the types of jobs you are seeking. If one employer is seeking a military background-be sure that is a skill you highlight in your cover letter and perhaps place at the top of your resume. You have experience working on evacuation plans? Create a resume that you will send to employers who seek that skill first and foremost. You need to send the most appropriate resume to your targeted employer. Read the employer’s job description carefully, and educate yourself regarding the company or celebrity or executive. Determine what the past needs have been, or what problems they’ve encountered, so you can be the eagerly-anticipated solution to those problems.

If you get the interview, but are not getting the job offer, you may have the basic skills the employer needs but not the advanced skills they want-see if you can determine what skills you were lacking, and use the tips above to help you.

You may be lacking in your abilities to market yourself at the interview. Consider taking a class to improve the quality of your interpersonal communications and interviewing skills. Ask someone to role-play an interview with you. Conduct a “trial interview” and videotape it to study your behavior, speech, and ability to adequately market your skills. Select three things about yourself that you want the employer to know about you by the end of your interview. Do you have an on-the-job story that highlights your skills? Find a way to incorporate that into the interview. Maintain eye contact, but not excessively. Match your communication style to the interviewer’s style. If the feel is formal, then treat the interview formally. If it’s a little looser, more relaxed, match that (without overdoing it!) Review and know your resume and fortify it with more details than indicated on the resume during the interview. Keep your responses brief and always to the point. Whatever you do, DO NOT reveal any information about your prior employers that is of a confidential nature. Remember that most security details require discretion, and the job interview is one place where you must exhibit your ability to be professional and discreet.

Finally, dress for success and don’t go overboard with fragrance. You’d be surprised how many employers are put off by strong perfumes or colognes. Polish your shoes, get a haircut and present your most articulate, best-groomed self. Be sure to bring along any copies of letters of recommendation, contact information for your references or prior employers, and a positive, upbeat attitude. After the interview, drop a thank you note in the mail. You may not be right for this position at this time, but the circle in this line of work can be small, and another opportunity may come your way-a thank you note is a nice way to be remembered and to thank the interviewer for their time.

The secret to LGI Homes’ dynamic success in the Texas housing market is simple: a happy customer. They build affordable, attractive new homes that make the dream of homeownership a reality. Then they back up that dream with distinguished customer service, award-winning quality, and the top-tier talents of all of their employees. It’s an approach that creates happy customers, and it’s a business model that is creating a great company.

Psychometric Tests

In the current job market, being invited to a job interview almost always entails taking psychometric tests. The two main elements in psychometric testing consist of – personality tests and aptitude (IQ) tests.

Personality Tests

Personality tests are the most mystifying element of the selection process. Most people don’t know much about them.

One of the main reason personality tests are used is that they provide insight that is often lacking in the interview process. Unlike the interview, personality tests are both more objective and more resilient to the assessors’ biases. This is a clear advantage for you, the test-taker. It means that you’ll face the personality test without any judgmental bias from others.

Bad Advice: “Just Be Yourself”.

The worst advice you’ll ever get before taking a personality test is,

“On the day of the test, just be yourself”.

It assumes that if job candidates behave as they normally do during the job selection process, it will increase their chances of success. According to this philosophy, if you’re generally a shy person you should be shy during the job interview and selection tests, and if you’re impulsive by nature you should answer impulsively on the test.

Our day-to-day behavior is strongly influenced by the situation we’re in. The nature of the situation influences our stress level, which in turn has an impact on our behavior. For example, you can be intolerant in one stressful situation but courteous in another. Which side of your personality do you want to show on the test?

Our experience at Job Test Prep, gained from preparing thousands of job applicants tells us that the recommendation to “just be your self” is potentially harmful. On the day of the test you should emphasize your strengths, not your weaknesses. A spontaneous “natural” response is not necessarily the best one, neither in life nor on a selection test. For example, if your boss has treated you rudely at work, telling him or her off would likely be a foolish mistake that might cost you your job. It’s usually best to swallow the insult, cool down and approach the situation in a more rational manner later on.

The rule is the same during a selection test – do the smart thing and be calculated.

Be honest but sensible.

Imagine that the personality test was a conversation with your boss: would you tell him/her everything about your personal life? The personality test is not the forum to mention hidden fears, doubts or occasional mood swings. In the personality test you should express honest, work-related behavior. Ultimately, that’s the only thing the assessors are really interested in.

During the test you need to be calculated, focused and determined to do well. Be honest, but be sensible.

Learn, practice and familiarize your self with personality tests – the more you know the better your chances of success!

Aptitude Tests

Aptitude tests fall into three broad skill categories: verbal, numerical and abstract (or diagrammatic). Additional skills are assessed in specific fields and for specific positions.

Can we develop our aptitude skills?

Some academics argue that it’s impossible to prepare for abstract reasoning tests because they are based on innate abilities. This is not something that should be accepted at face value.

Your chances of doing well on any test increase if you:

- are familiar with the test format and type of questions asked.

- practice solving aptitude questions.

- improve your verbal and numerical skills – your crystallized intelligence.

- learn the key rules that underpin each test, and practice effective strategies for dealing with specific question types.

There are over a thousand different aptitude tests on the market. However, because there are only a few major publishers that develop these tests, while they may vary slightly in format and in appearance there is very little variation in the types of questions. When you prepare for these tests you should focus on the essence, format and type of questions on the test. It would be a waste of your precious time to concentrate on a specific set of questions. Even if you ended up taking the same test that you prepared for, the questions would likely be different and only the format the same.

You have the ability to improve your performance dramatically. Our experience at Job Test Prep has taught us that 80% of the people who practice thoroughly pass the selection process. On the other hand, only 15% of those who come unprepared complete the selection process successfully.

The key to success is in your hands. With enough practice, you should feel confident and relaxed on the day of the test.

Psychometric Advantage Testing provides a resource base from which you can find the right providers for psychometric tests and testing services, authoritative advice on how to complete a psychometric test, and a growing knowledge base that you can refer to to find out more about this powerful job-matching tool.

One of the major mistakes common job seekers make is to search only the super job search engines. Admittedly more job openings are posted on the super job search engines, but in the mean time, the employers who use the supper sites will also receive much more applications for the posted position. A large portion of job bank traffic is generated by job seekers, not employers, therefore the higher a job site’s traffic is, the more competitive the positions are. Additionally, many employers, especially those smaller companies, are posting only to second tire job banks for various reasons, some to reduce the influx of applications, some for a better posting plan, some to retrain applicants to local area.

Step 1 – Search Meta Job Search Engines

You can jump start your job search using the meta job search engines, which will simultaneously check multiple job boards. No meta search engines covers all the job banks, and different meta search engines supports different job banks. There are two types of meta search engines, respectively Link Engine and Listing Engine. The Link Meta Search Engines save you time in entering search criteria, so that you simply enter keyword, choose region and categories once, and then get cooked links for various job banks. The Listing Engine goes one step forward, will present all the job listings, so that you needn’t pay a visit to each individual job bank. The third type of job search engine is special Meta Job Search Engine Software that not only searches the job, but also assists in composing cover letter and resume sending.

Step 2 – Post Your Resume to Job Banks

Most websites request job seekers to post resume in order to apply online, and to post your resume to all websites is a frustrating task. You can either perform the task manually, or use Resume Posting services, which do the job for you. However, Resume Posting Service is different from resume broadcasting service, which broadcasts your resume directly to recruiters.

Step 3 – Experience as Many Job Banks as Possible to Select Your Job Banks

Meta Job Search Engines only deal with some of the popular job banks. A job seeker should try as many job banks as possible, and then conclude which web sites are more effective for you. There are quite a few less known job banks with outstanding job postings. You don’t necessarily have to use all the resources all the time, but at the beginning you should try different resources so that you known which ones works better for you particular occupation, region and experience level.

ExpatHiring.com is the most convenient and effective way to find expat employment. With the biggest source of expatriate jobs, overseas career advice and job searching tools for expats, international students and multilingual jobseekers, they are the first choice when it comes to international recruitment.

“Careers in Geography” (four-page brochure) Guide to Geography Programs in the Americas 2005-2006

Both items can be ordered from the AAG Publications Division. Email: puborder@aag.org.

AAG also has a list of college and university geography departments in North America.

The University of Colorado at Boulder maintains a Virtual Geographer with links to geography departments at universities and colleges around the world.

Career opportunities at the National Geographic Society for persons with a background in geography are found primarily in our editorial research and cartography departments and in our geography education program. Staff members here are engaged in a broad range of activities promoting research and exploration, working with educators to improve the teaching of geography, and publishing geographical materials, including magazines, books, maps, films, and educational products, for both the school market and the general public. To produce these materials National Geographic employs writers, editors, computer specialists, researchers, artists, designers, and cartographers. Training in the discipline of geography is beneficial in all of these specialties. You can find all opportunities on our Jobs site.

1. Becoming a freelance graphic designer.

You can find many opportunities in freelance Web design and graphic design. Many freelancers are hired as production support assistance. Many graphic designers are hired to help support specific projects. You also have a chance of becoming a freelance art director. Freelance advertising art directors have become common in the industry. Almost every type of design operation uses freelancers. You can get a job freelancing at an in-house art department, or an independent design studio that is looking for freelancers to help with projects.

2. The graphic design industry relies on freelance power.

On both a creative and production level, the graphic design industry relies heavily on skilled freelancers. Highly-skilled freelancers demand higher hourly rates. Even if you are less experienced as a freelance Web designer, the freelance market is a great way to break in and educate yourself about the industry. Many young graphic artists use the freelance industry to sample different work conditions, jobs, and so on. In many cases, designers prefer to work with other freelancers. This is because they’re not locked into the same routine schedule.

3. Transitioning from freelancer to a business owner.

Transitioning between a freelance graphic designer and a graphic designer who owns his or her own business is not as difficult as you might imagine. Freelancing is a great way to establish rapport with clients and to build a solid client base. Freelancers who have worked with many different clients have a better chance of moving to this next professional stage. If you have loyal clients, make sure you remind them about your portfolio and the work they had hired you to do.

4. Setting up your own freelance practice.

Becoming a freelance graphic designer is more than just sitting at home and creating images for clients. You also have to understand the best way to run your business. You are responsible to set up your own home office. You need the necessary equipment. You also have to create a business plan. If at all possible, you may choose to work with an accountant, who can help you develop your financial goals and help you deal with getting a business banking account and squaring out tax information. You are better off keeping your personal finances and your business finances completely separate.

Some of the companies do not want to hire a professional for life time. Looking forward to short-term projects, the skilled labors can be hired as contract basis till the project life ends. This time they are completely depended on the employer service providers. They have enough resources and can be fit to the project based recruitment. Similar kind of contract basis job has a little modification where a temporary assignment that can be extendable or converted to full-time employee. The contract job allows the candidate and the employers to get to know each other for a commitment of further extension or permanent. Direct placement service done by the employment service company to his client. That will be a full-time permanent position based on the performance, talent, personality and career ambition.

Employment Service companies work under some principle based on the nature of the Industry. Their working conditions are very tough and challenging to satisfy the clients (employers) and customers (job seekers). Their main object is employment all kind of people, and supplying human resource to various industries. They provide jobs for human resource management related professionals. They work for training, advancement and grooming the human resources. They passively responsible for development, financial (earnings), social, and human value each individual human being.

Our CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL RESUME WRITERS are a team of Professional Human Resource Resume Writers with more than 10 years experience drafting a diverse range of HUMAN RESOURCE resumes for applicants ranging from junior to senior level. We have prepared thousands of HR resumes for clients such as Directors of Human Resources, Human Resource Business Partners, Human Resource Generalists, Human Resource Managers, Labor Union Staff and Benefits Administrators. Our CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL RESUME WRITERS have been trained by top resume companies such as Ladders™, Monster™, Jobfox™ and Career-Builder™. All of our Human Resource Resume Writers have graduated top schools with advanced degrees.

Our team of Human Resource Resume Writers focus exclusively in Human Resources. As a team of Certified Professional Resume Writers with extensive experience drafting professional HR resumes and working with top companies, our Certified Resume Writers have developed a strong expertise in HR. Our #1 goal is to provide all the Resume service and quality of a big name company, without charging the astronomical prices, which is why we charge less than half of our competition, while providing superior quality and customer service.

If companies such as Ladders™, Monster™ and Jobfox™ have used our writers to draft resumes for their Junior, Mid-Level and Senior Professional level clients why shouldn’t you? Why pay the markup of working with these companies when you can get the same quality and same writers for less money and better customer service? Our Certified Professional Resume Writers (CPRWs) know exactly how to match your qualifications to a particular position and level.

.Reference resource: Click Here.

Welcome to Careers 101. In this segment you will be introduced to tips and strategies to follow before, during, and after interviewing. You will learn how to dress, handle tough questions, and follow up after your next interview. The more prepared you are, the better chance you will have to attain the position that you desire.

What to wear.
According to Kim Zoller at Image Dynamics, 55% of how an interviewer perceives you is based on how you look. So according to this study, over half of their perception is based on your appearance. Looking good for your interview plays such a pivotal role when trying to land a job. Listed below are tips for both men and women to follow while dressing for their upcoming interview.

• Wear solid and conservative colors, whites & blues are best
• Coordinate your blouse or tie with your shirt, also solid and conservative
• Have a neat and professional hairstyle
• Hide all tattoos and limit the amount of jewelry that you wear
• Use sparse amounts of perfume or cologne

.Reference resource: Click Here.

I pulled together this list of recommended resume, cover letter, interview and job search resources to help my site visitors who haven’t found the answers they’re seeking on this site. Take time to look through each category. There are some real winners here, in my opinion.

I’ve done my best to provide a comprehensive resume help center here on Your Career Connection. But I also know that it’s hard to anticipate every single need for resume info that might arise. You might have a special situation or want a resume for a different situation than any I talk about here on this site.

So that’s why I included this page of resume resources… to give you access to other quality resume help that might benefit you. I hope you find these recommended career resources useful…

.Reference resource: Click Here.