< Careers and Employment

Part of a series of guides at Wikiversity:Career services

If you are unfamiliar with the term job hunting then read the article on Wikipedia to enlighten yourself.

Overview

Here is the basic process to find a job. If you find a full time job, then you can expect to work for about 40 hours a week at least. Know what type of job(s) you might be interested in and qualified for. The basic process is as follows.

  1. Make finding a job your job. Expect to devote a considerable amount of time to this
  2. Don't give up; find employment (e.g. searching on Indeed) and know what type of employment you're willing to accept (e.g. working at McDonalds or working as a software engineer at Google)
  3. Create a resume and cover letter
  4. Be able to fill out a job application
  5. Fill out job applications and/or send in resumes and cover letters
  6. Get interviews
  7. Go to interviews
  8. Accept employment

Remember, don't give up. Make finding a job your job.

Resume writing

There are a number of guides that go into the mechanics of resume writing so it is unnecessary to go through them here. However, very few of them go into the psychology of resume writing, and why it is sometimes so difficult to write the resume.

One key trick is this....

The resume is a 30 second commercial about you. It is not an autobiography.

If you think of the resume as an autobiography, then writing it becomes difficult because adding and removing things means making a commentary about your life. If it is a 30 second commercial, then it becomes much easier. You are coming up with a jingle, and the resume is a piece of promotional literature.

When you write your resume, think about it as your marketing tool and not only your personal document. Below are some tips and suggestions on how to write an attractive resume. Some of the main tips for writing a good resume are:

  • Use Titles/Headings that match the jobs you are applying for
  • Use an attractive design
  • Mention your skills, knowledge, and experience
  • Make a list of your training and education
  • Describe your accomplishment
  • Quantify and use power words
  • Analyze the job description to Identify key words
  • Tweak and target your resumes
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