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Article from The Straits Times, Recuit, 3rd November 2002
Keep Your Chin Up
Don't postpone your job search till the good times return. An outplacement consultant tells you why
If you are still looking for a job and facing the traditional end-of-year hiring freezes, you may be asking yourself if you should try again next year or wait till the economy takes a turn for the better.
The answer, say the experts, is that you should persist in your job search. The state of the global and Singapore economies are beyond our control. What you can influence, instead, is your state of motivation and your job search activities.
No one ever said a job search is easy. Some of the outplaced candidates entrusted to our agency by corporate clients come with the notion that their search will be over and done with in a jiffy.
They have been advised that they should be prepared to wait at least six to nine months before they can land something appropriate. Of course, there are exceptions like candidates who found new and challenging roles in just four to five months. As a rule of thumb, the more senior you are (both in your career and your age) the longer your job search will be.
Also, if you have specific strengths that are not generally available in the market, the more in demand you will be. One of our French candidates residing in Taiwan was able to find a new and better paying job because he is fluent in Chinese.
During networking and job interview sessions, focus on your strengths, in relation to what the role calls for.
For example, in the sales industry, sales professionals know that they should focus on what the client needs and wants to buy, rather than what they have to sell. What is also important is that you maintain your level of confidence.
You may have been in and out of interview sessions dozens of time, but each is a different opportunity to land yourself a job offer. So, drop the past disappointments and focus. The worst mistake you can make is to lose concentration and have to ask the interviewer to repeat what he has just said.
The only way to successful interviews is practice, preparation and confidence.
If you are well prepared and have practised answering potential interview questions, you will naturally feel confident. When you feel confident, you will speak better and inspire others to have confidence in your abilities.
A job search is a sequential exercise. If you don't do well in your interview session, you are less likely to get a job offer.
Reading this column will not land you a job what will land you one is hard work. A job search is a serious matter that you have to learn to approach with professionalism.
Article by Paul Heng, managing director of NeXT Career Consulting, which specialises in outplacement services. He is also the author of “Jump Start Your Career” and president of the Asian Association of Career Management Professionals.
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