Golden Job

It's all about Job and Career!

These days, the average person changes their career seven to ten times within their life span. This means that the average person is going to send out several hundred copies of their resumes in their lifetime…and yes, they’re going to have to go through several interviews in their lifetime.

Scary, huh?

If the interview process makes you nervous, well, you’re not alone. But right now, it’s time to stop worrying. You’re about to learn the nine vital steps for interview success…how to pass any interview you face!

Step 1: Research the Company that you are being interviewed for:

It’s a pretty obvious trick: research the company you’re interviewing for and be prepared to show off what you know about them. Way too many people show up for an interview without having the first idea about what the particular company stands for. The truth is that you should know at least something about the company’s mission, its general business process, and its particular needs. Know how long the company has been in business and whether they’re financially sound and profitable. Research the company with a view to determine what you can do to help them achieve their goals. Be prepared to say specifically how your personal goals and experience are going to be valuable to the company.

Step 2: Know your resume:

In virtually any interview situation, you’re interviewer is going to ask you questions about your resume, about your experiences and even about the quirky stuff you’ve listed to pad it out. You should read your resume over and over, and know the details of it because you never know when you’re going to be asked about your chess playing experience or your interest in literature. Make sure there’s nothing detailed on your resume that you’re uncomfortable talking about.

Step 3: Dress for Success:

Appearance can become nine-tenths of the law if you don’t pay attention to it. For every interview, make sure you wear garments that are professional and appropriate the position that you’re seeking. Your clothes should be comfortable, clean, and pressed. Don’t create a crisis for yourself on the morning of the interview when it comes to your clothes. Pick out your outfit and make sure it’s ready the night before your big interview.

Step 4: Make sure that you wake up early and are on time:

Just as you shouldn’t let your wardrobe run you down on the big day, you shouldn’t let traffic or public transport delays upset you either. It’s also crucial that you don’t get lost on the way so have directions -and confirm them if you have to – well before you set off. These days, with MapQuest, you have no excuses. Make sure you leave the house early, and plan to be at the interview at least ten minutes early.

Step 5: Review interview questions:

Interviews may be pretty scary but they’re also pretty predictable. It doesn’t take much to predict the basic questions you’re going to be asked. Here are some examples:

Tell me about yourself?

Tell me about a time you failed miserably in your career?

What is your greatest strength/weakness?

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

What are your salary expectations for this position?

Why should we hire YOU?

Prepare sample answers to these questions. Memorize a couple of key responses. Remember that no matter who you’re interviewing for or with, if it’s a job interview, the basic focus is going to be on your experience, your goals, and your potential to contribute to the company. Be sure you can argue a case for yourself on these key points.

Step 6: Let the interviewer lead you:

The interviewer is the one running the interview but you can set the pace. Wait for the interviewer to ask the questions. Take your time to listen to the questions. Give your answers carefully; make sure they are considered. That said, each of your answers should be given with an energetic and enthusiastic voice. Above all, smile and enjoy the interview. Be courteous and always thank the interviewer at the end of the interview. Tell them that you’re well qualified for the job, and that you will prove it to them upon being hired. Don’t be afraid to be confident in yourself and your abilities.

Step 7: Ask for the next step:

The interviewer will ask most of the questions but you will have a chance to get a word in shortly. Find out what will happen next, and what you should expect after the interview. When should you be hearing from them about the job? When will the hiring decision be made?

Step 8: Send a thank you note:

Everything you do regarding your interview has consequences. Just as a good sales person follows up on a lead, after each interview you attend you should be sure to send a thank you note to the employer and the interviewer, thanking them for their time. Going the extra mile in this way will generally show that you’re qualified for the position, or at least that you’re a serious and diligent person.

Step 9: Follow-up:

Of course, sending a thank you note is something you do immediately after the interview. A reasonable period after, usually a week or two at least, you should take one further step to follow up. Call the company offices and ask if you can speak to the hiring manager who interviewed you. You can start the conversation by asking if they received your note. Then you can ask them if any decisions were made and, if not, approximately when you should call back or otherwise expect to hear from them. Don’t be pushy; above all, be polite and courteous, even if a response is not forthcoming.

WHEN YOU’RE HIRED…THINGS TO THINK ABOUT…

If you are hired, remember that you need to stand up to your promises. You should always be putting 110% effort. An unspoken trick to get comfortable in interviews and to always get the job you want: in every job you accept, make yourself shine. Regardless of how much you are paid or how much responsibility and work you’re given, take the initiative to do more. The more you’re prepared to do for your job, the future each of your jobs will take you. Don’t worry about being rewarded, just keep working hard, and it will pay off.

One of the greatest things your online business can ever hope to achieve is instant recognition based on nothing more than an image. When consumers can identify your company by viewing a logo or photo, then you know you have successfully conquered the realm of personal branding.

The status achieved through personal branding can be somewhat complex. Online business owners must understand that much of personal branding is about perception. For instance, personal branding may mean that consumers not only identify your company upon viewing an image, it can also mean that your business is the specific one that comes to mind when thinking of your industry. If that’s the case, that means the general public may begin to perceive your online business as the leader in its field, regardless of whether or not it is true. With such perceived greatness comes a high industry standing, which in turn can breed additional customers and revenue.

Repetition is key when trying to achieve a successful personal branding experience. As a result, you need to ensure that your image of choice can be found on every aspect of your website and on every piece of literature or advertising referring to your company. If consumers continue to see your business associated with a particular image it won’t be long before they link the two together. It is only then that personal branding is successfully achieved. It can be a trying and seemingly tedious job but it is definitely worthwhile. Keep in mind too that such acts of repetition allow your online business the opportunity to stay highly visible, an important factor in the competitive realm of online businesses.

Some online businesses may forfeit the chance to design a logo as the image by which they wish to be associated. Instead they decide on a personal photo as a means for branding. Although unconventional in some circles, it is an unwise move. Photographs featuring the face of an individual can humanize a vast company in ways that logos may never be capable.  Just remember to hire a seasoned professional to photograph your session, the same way you would utilize the services of an experienced graphic designer to compose a logo. As the symbol for your company, you need to ensure that the photo projects an aura of professionalism.

Looking for a work from home business opportunity? It could be that you’ve seen an ad or two in the classified section of your local newspaper, but since the advent of the Internet, information on the latest, greatest, best and worst in work from home business opportunities is only a click away. In fact, it often seems like there is a link to a work from home business opportunity on the sidebar of every Google search or banner ad strip of every other high traffic website online.

While there is definitely work to be had and money to be made with a work from home business opportunity, finding the right work from home business opportunity for you will definitely require some legwork and preliminary research on your part. Why? Well, the unfortunate reality is that not every work from home business opportunity is legitimate. Often, a work from home business opportunity reels interested people in with a lot of lofty promises about unbelievable revenue streams without a lot of effort required on your part. They tantalize you just enough to get you to pay the sign-up fee, then leave you hanging after that.

This isn’t to say, of course, that every work from home business opportunity is a fraud. The trick is being willing to perform due diligence and do a background check on the work from home business opportunity you’re interested in before you actually invest any money in it to make sure you are making a good investment in a genuinely promising work from home business opportunity.

I admit it, I was sucked into reading an article on one of the major search engines this morning titled “The 10 best work at home jobs”. Although, actually, their point was that those 10 work at home jobs are “real” and “legitimate”.

While I agree that the jobs they listed which included translator, web designer and teacher are “real” jobs, they are not exactly jobs just anyone can pick up today and start doing. You need to have a particular highly developed skill in order to do them.

Other jobs mentioned, like franchise owner, can take an awful lot of up front cash that not everyone has laying around. When you buy a franchise you typically have just solved someone else’s cash problem but you are a long way from solving yours.

I would like to devote the rest of this article to an income stream that many do not consider a job. It is better than a “job” and better in my opinion than those 10 best work at home jobs that other article was espousing.

What I am referring to is article marketing, sometimes known as “bum marketing”. Article marketing is something most anyone can do with just a computer, borrowed at the library if necessary, and an internet connection.

With article marketing you chose a product or a service that you have some interest in, even a video game would work, and write articles to promote that product or service and receive a commission when someone buys.

Let me be clear about one thing, you do not have to be a writer. In fact, some people hire others to write for them. You can have quality articles written for just a few dollars. Some companies with a product will even give you articles to modify and use for free.

I consider article marketing to be one of the best work at home jobs for the following reasons:

You can work from home, a coffee shop, anywhere You need zero money to start You work on your own schedule, any time of the day or night No one cares what you look like, talk like, or act like It does not matter how young or how old you are You need no previous experience or “resume” Your income potential is unlimited

What could possibly beat that? Doesn’t that sound like the kind of “job” you have always wanted?

How about co-workers and friends? People who work online with article marketing usually have more friends and co-workers than anyone I know. If they do not live near each other they email, skype and twitter each other.

You meet those friends and co-workers at conferences that you attend in fun locations with the money you earned working at home online. And that “conference at a fun location” is probably tax deductible (check with your accountant).