Job Seeking Skills

It's not about the resume: Creative, successful job search tips

Don't underestimate appearance. A professional appearance is comparable to values, and regardless of your personal opinion, somewhere in the hiring process, appearance may become the deciding factor. I am not talking about wearing jeans to an interview.

Most candidates believe they have a professional appearance and equate ability with job experience and academic success. Based on that definition, they feel they are the best-qualified candidates. This can sometimes be a sensitive area for candidates, but don't be naive or in denial that appearance doesn't count.

Appearance matters in your job search. Many books are available about dressing for success, but I have two important points to make. First, if you want to be a professional, look like a professional. I learned this in my first year of high school from my baseball coach.

On our very first day of practice, we were all eager to begin hitting and throwing the baseball. Most of us had been playing organized baseball since we were eight years old. But on our first day of high school practice, we spent the entire time learning the finer points of earing the baseball uniform. At the time, I thought it was a waste of time, but over the years, I continue to hear the coach saying, "If you are going to be a professional, then you must look like a professional."

Our dress set the tone for who we were and we took pride in our appearance. That pride carried over to the baseball field and we consistently won championships and sent many players to college on athletic scholarships and on to professional baseball. A second point of interest was that while we did not have the latest style uniforms in the state, because of the way we wore them, they appeared to be of much higher quality.

Look like a professional in your job search. The second point concerns how you determine what is professional dress. it's easy, just look at successful people. Don't be misled by a few successful mavericks who dress counter to mainstream successful businessmen and women. Recently, a friend of mine told me a story which highlights that people are not only looking at your appearance, they are aware of how successful people dress and groom themselves.

During an office visit for an EKG, my friend struck up a casual conversation with the nurse and found out she was a single mom with several children. She was particularly proud of her oldest son who was doing exceptionally well in school. She shared her hopes for him to go to college and then to become a successful businessman. This doctor's office was in an affluent area and she had come into contact with a number of successful business people.

When she pulled my friend's trouser leg up to attach the electrodes, she commented that he was wearing over-the-calf socks. She said she keeps telling her son to wear over-the-calf socks, because successful businessmen do. This was a woman who understood and passed on to her son things she noticed about successful people. You should be doing the same thing for yourself as you meet and talk with successful people.

Concluding thought. While conducting your job search, use this time to also consider starting your own business. Take inventory of your talents and the experience you have gained over the years running your own business unit within a company. Can you replicate that as your own small business? Can you take that experience and tailor it to an existing market trend that fits well with your talents?

If you have a unique specialty, employers may want to contact you for your services. This could enable you to grow your consulting position into a small vendor to support your existing and other clients. With the job market very tight, you may find less competition opening your own business than securing employment with a company.

Taken from About.com. Written by Cleve Rowley.