JOBS: TIPS that could help you get the job that you want

Posted on November 26, 2007
Filed Under Jobs | Viewed 972 times

Here are some tips that could help you get the job that you want, be it a part-time job or full-time one.

When sending CVs through emails, make sure that your email contains the relevant details about the position you are applying for.

Indicate the position you are applying for. Subject line may say, “Application for a Part-Time Position—IT Specialist”.

Indicate the Reference where you saw the job opening (Example: Reference: Your post of 22 October 2007 in The D Spot, JOBS: Work from Home). This may also be placed in the body of the email itself.

Be formal, or at least NOT informal. Some emails look like text messages—words are clipped or shortened. And what are they applying for? writing jobs!

And hey, do not just attach a CV without writing a covering email.

The CV should be well thought of and well-written.

Don’t forget to put your contact details, like telephone numbers, email address, even home address, also your references.

Cite your website or blogsite, especally if you are applying for a writing job.

And other details that could put you in an advantage over the others would be welcome, except that they should not be kilometric ones.

Applying for a job is also like marketing yourself to your prospective employer. It would be useful to indicate in your covering email some details which you feel would give you an advantage over the others. Say, for example, if you are applying for a home-based job, you could say that you have had experience working night shifts in a call center, but you realize that you would now like to work home-based. There are some applicants who are honest enough to say that since they would like to stay with their small kids at home, they would like to take advantage of home-based jobs.

There are some applicants who follow up their application through YM or Gtalk. One time, there was an applicant who has been following up her application through YM. For a whole week, I simply ignored her, you know why? Her avatar/picture was that of a naked woman. When she became very insistent, I curtly told her—how could she be considered? Did she think her avatar was cute? Oh well, that is her prerogative, but it could also be to her very disadvantage. I gave her advice, short of admonishing her. She insisted that she was not aware of it, until I sent her a screen shot, which incidentally was also sent by one of her friends. Finally she apologized, she said the picture was sent by another friend, which she downloaded, and which “accidentally” landed as her avatar.

Oh, yes, because of her insistence, I almost gave her some part time job, but what did I find out? She was not equipped with the necessary requirements—a computer and a DSL connection, though she was willing to work in an internet cafe. I wondered, would an internet cafe be open in the province from midnight to early morning?

Another thing which has been noticeable by foreign clients among some of our “specialized” workers is that most times Filipinos are very good in the beginning—doing web design or programming, but then when clients send emails, emails would be answered only after 2 days, or sometimes not at all. Clients want presence and assurance that the service providers are on hand for their tasks. I found out later that the clients turn to our Indian counterparts, who may be more expensive, but are perceived to be “dependable”.

And employers want commitment. There were times that tasks, like research or data entry, were assigned to part-timers, then just suddenly in the middle of the work, or even when the work was almost done, they would back out, with very vague reasons, or sometimes no reasons at all, and that would hurt us. Either I find others to do the task urgently in the wee hours of the morning, ask our current staff to do the work, or I do the work myself, so as to honor our commitment to the client in the other part of the world. Most times, these part-timers would have the nerve after a week or two to email or YM asking for jobs or another part-time work. Of course, who will, in his/her proper mind hire them again, when there are hundreds of others who are in the pool waiting for work.

The good news is that, especially for administrative, personal assistance, telemarketing and writing jobs, and many others that the call centers cater to, foreign employers prefer to outsource to Filipinos rather than to our counterparts in other parts of the world. And this is already an advantage.

More tips on job interviews and many others to come.

This Asian Business Directory post is a DigitalFilipino.com Club Sponsored Post.

Comments

3 Responses to “JOBS: TIPS that could help you get the job that you want”

dimaks on November 27th, 2007 4:52 pm

great roundup of tips thanks for sharing tita dine!
haze on November 29th, 2007 4:03 pm

Interesting tips ! I already have my CV and a motivation letter (french version) to the company attached on it !I just hope to find a part time job sometime next year after our Philippines vacation on April ! Thanks for the tips Tita Dine and have a nice day.
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