CHAPTER FIVE
WHO AM I?
DO YOU HAVE CAREER AMNESIA?
CHAPTER SIX WHERE
DO I WANT TO BE?
CHOOSING A CAREER GOAL
DRAFTING A CAREER PLAN
CAREER MILESTONES
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
THINGS YOU SIMPLY SHOULD NOT DO
CHAPTER EIGHT
YOUR CAREER MATCHMAKER
INTRODUCTION
MATCHING YOUR CAREER WITH YOUR PERSONALITY
CHAPTER NINE
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
BACK TO BASICS
CHAPTER TEN
FINDING YOUR NEXT JOB
INTRODUCTION
FINDING A JOB – THE OLD WAY
FINDING A JOB – THE NEW WAY
CHAPTER ELEVEN
UP-SELLING YOUR SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER TWELVE
RESUMES THAT GET NOTICED
INTRODUCTION
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
RESUME DO’S AND DON’TS
RESUMES FOR CAREER CHANGERS
RESUME FORMATS
COVER LETTERS
COVER LETTER DO’S AND DON’TS
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NAILING THE INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW DO’S AND DON’TS
SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR CAREER CHANGERS
OPENING LINES AND ICE BREAKERS
SECOND AND GROUP INTERVIEWS
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SEALING THE DEAL
HELPFUL HINTS
THE ART OF NEGOTIATING
EMPLOYMENT REJECTION
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE JOB OFFER PART 1
TIME TO CONSOLIDATE
FOLLOWING UP
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE JOB OFFER PART 2
TIME TO CONSOLIDATE
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
MOTIVATION AND SUCCESS
STAYING MOTIVATED
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SUMMARY
CHAPTER NINETEEN
RESOURCES
SAMPLE RESUMES
SAMPLE COVER LETTERS
URLS
Chapter One
where have you been?
Sometimes, knowing the difference between two words
such as these makes a huge difference in life.
A career is a succession of jobs. When one job leads
to the next, logically, financially and professionally
and serves as a stepping stone for a higher goal, then
you have a great career going. So a career is like a
job stream. It flows smoothly in a controlled, predetermined
direction.
Chapter Three
assessing your position
It’s better to be old than be old AND unhappy
with your job. Therefore, age is not a barrier - Unless
you are the Rolling Stones and you keep touring. However,
unlike Mick Jagger, if you find yourself asking the
question “am I too old for this?” here are
some things you need to keep in mind before you take
the big step to flexing those hips.
Chapter Five
do you have career amnesia?
Most of us suffer from a type of ‘career amnesia’.
We don’t remember who we are or who we wanted
to be. What did we want to do with our lives? What were
our passions?
The more jobs we take up before finding the answers
to these questions, the deeper we slip into this amnesia.
Chapter Eight
matching your career with
your personality
Finding a job that suits your attitudes, your value
system and your personality is the most important and
the most difficult part of this exercise.
Have fun devising your own little psychometric test
and analyze your own personality. Because, no matter
what others say, you are the best judge.
Chapter Eleven
Up-selling your skills
Just because you are changing your career, you don’t
have to throw your old resume out the window.
You can carry over some of the skills and expertise
you have gained so far to your new career. (You’ll
be surprised to know that a lot of your skills are relevant
to your new career.)
Chapter Twelve
Resumes that get noticed
Days go by. Weeks go by. Soon you realize that it’s
been more than a month. You still haven’t heard
from any of these companies. What happened? What went
wrong? Just one thing… Your RESUME.
It would break your little heart to know that while
you were sitting at home waiting to be called for an
interview by one of your prospective employers, your
resume died a silent death, a long, long time ago.
Here are some heart-wrenching reports about the resume
in question:
• Resume never made it to any desk in any office.
• Nobody read resume.
• Worse, nobody saw resume.
• Cat saw resume.
• Cat ate resume.
resume
formats
Some people hold the opinion that
there are basically three types of resume formats. Others
prefer to categorize them in two ways. Truth is, there
is no one size that fits all. There are as many resume
formats as there are job seekers in this world!
But before you embark on your ‘format your own
resume’ adventure, it helps to know which formats
are available to you.
cover letters
As you would have gathered from
the previous section, your resume already has too much
work to do! (it’s any wonder it gets tired and
needs to rest occasionally!) It has to list out your
educational background, your work history, your skill
sets, your contact details and so much more.
Chapter Thirteen
Nailing the Interview
Maybe it’s been a while since you attended a job
interview. This is a key reason why you should make
sure your interview skills are finely tuned and in line
with contemporary interview practices. Here is what
you should and should not do:
Opening
lines and ice breakers
What ever you do you need to have more in your repertoire
than “So, do you come here often – wink,
wink, nudge, nudge!” You need to make sure you
have some opening lines in reserve, that won’t
embarrass you or the recipient.
second and group
interviews
Often, your ordeal does not end with one interview.
Some employers take great pleasure in grilling you like
a cheeseburger for a second and third time. Somehow,
this makes them believe that in the end they will find
the right candidate for the job.
Chapter Fourteen
Sealing the Deal
So, your employer loves your resume, your job interview
has been going great so far, you have been answering
all the questions with wit, intelligence and good sense.
You also like your new boss. Congratulations! Looks
like you are getting closer to your dream job.
Of course, you still can screw up. So how do you make
sure that you don’t make any career-threatening
blunders? And how do you tighten your hold on this job?
employment rejection
There could be any number of reasons why you get rejected
for a particular job. If the rejection happens at the
initial pre-interview stages, it is easier to handle.
But facing rejection after you put in all the effort
could be devastating.
Chapter Seventeen
Motivation and Success
You have found your dream job. Congratulations! You
have achieved an important goal. But do remember that
this is not the final goal in your career. There will
be more milestones and goals in your path to success.
So, you have to constantly remind yourself of your higher
goals and keep in mind all the reasons why you chose
this particular job and career.
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