My 2 cents of applying for a job

After reading posts in this forum for a while, I am extremely impressed by all moderators' hard work. You are a group of great people with expert knowledge and a big warm heart.

I just want to share some of my thoughts and experiences with all of you, please feel free to add and critisize anything I say.

1. Before you start looking for job, the most important thing is getting to know what your goal is. Why am I looking for a job? To support my family? To build my career? To help other people? To change an environment (bad boss or boring project)? There are millions of reasons to find a job other than getting paid. Once you know what you are want, then you know what you are looking for.

2. repeat #1, this issue is extremely important but sometimes being overlooked. By getting to know yourself better will benefit you on the later processes. Such as, you will narrow down your job search focus, you will be naturally more excited during interviews(interviewer loves energy); you will have easier time while selecting from multiple offers. All translate to you will have better chance finding your dream job.

My experience: I have been with the same company since college graduation and I felt being lazy and less energetic going to office every day. I need a change of heart. For myself, I feel I am better than most of my colleagues, skill wise and personality wise. I am a very good team player and a good leader. I can follow orders well and step up when necessary. I am looking for a place can either give me back my energy when I started working 7 years ago, or a step stone for my stable career.

3. Study your object, the position you are applying for. What is the job deion? What quality are they looking for? Do I have them? Who is hiring? What do they do? Does my experience make me their dream hire? Get to know them, then you can put yourself in their shoes while preparing for resumes and interviews.

My experience: Every time I send a resume, I look what the advertiser is looking for, who are they hiring, what level or experience are they looking for? Am I applying a job beyond my experience or am I well qualified for job deion. Those will lead to my interview preparation later.

4. Resume, resume is an over-priced stock. Yes, it is very important; yes, it is a critical part of your job searching process. However, it only gets you this far, an interview, no more, no less. Granted, without an interview, you won't find a job. But no matter how impressive your resume is, multiple candidates will be interviewed unless there is no qualified candidate other than you (doesn't happen often if ever). Knowing that resume + cover letter will land you potential interviews, spending time and energy is necessary. A standard resume can be used for multiple companies, but you can add a little personal touch to match what they need. #3 will be helpful here. Imagine you are looking at your resume, are you going to give this person a shot? While your YES answer won't garantee a success, your NO answer will almost garantee a failure (meaning, modify your resume).

My experience: I changed slightly on my project experience to suit better to advertiser, more hotel projects if they are looking for entertainment applicant, more hospital projects if they are looking for health care applicant, and so forth.

5. Now, you have got an interview. Congratulations, having an interview means you are the cream of the crop. You probablly beat 90% of the applicants to get there. Translation, you are good enough to get this job but you need to demonstrate you are the best among all interviewees. Unlike resume (you only need to be good), you need to be the best this time. Study hard and prepare well.

Refer to what you know about #1 and #3. Be prepared to talk about what you have done in the past, what you are doing now and what you plan to do in the future. Some standard question will include:
Why are you looking for job?
Why are you intereted in us?
What project have you done before?
What is your plan when you join us?
What do you expect us to provide you?
And interviewer may elaborate from your answer to know you better.

Interviewers are usually looking for these qualities (not necessariely this order):
Experience (who can do the job), ability (potential to exceed expectation), honesty (no need to say more), energy (you are doing what you love), team player (we are going to work together after said and done), leadership (can you step up when duty calls), loyalty (no mold please), confidence (if you don't believe yourself, why should I?).

The candidate who demonstrates the most of it will get the hire and the rest will be sent home. If you are the ONE, congratulation, if not, don't worry, maybe the winner is just so superier (you won't competing with superier candidate forever); maybe this person has clicked with the interviewer and they just love him/her (you are better so you will get your shot next time).

My experience, I went to four interviews in two weeks (2 interviews each with 2 companies). I brought some demonstrations of my previous projects, with lots of illustrations (illustrations are always better when possible). I selected those projects I am familier with and suit my interviewer, so I can talk about them with expertise, comfort and confidence. Also, my previous chit-chat ability with my co-workers also helped, I was not nervous, I talked everything I want to talk about, and my body language put my interviewer at ease. There are a lot of interactions between the interviewer and me so they went like a normal conversation meeting instead of standard question and answer sessions, also because I am prepared, there is more time spent talking about thing I know instead of exploring unknown subjects. Result, two exerllent offers! By the way, I am not a natural interviewee to begin with, even though I feel now I can nail just about anything. In fact, I failed a very important scholarship interview while in college which if I do it now, I can 99% get it done. I grow those abilities by serving my community (served as president of CSSA of my college iin my last year), by overcoming my fear to chat with strangers (waiting in line, riding bus) and learning some American culture (I just learn sports which I like)

6 Accepting and selecting offers. Offers on the table now! Smile, you are the MAN/WOMAN! This process is best described by Lao Tu here: "咱高兴就中,不中也中. 咱不高兴就不中,中也不中" If you studied #1 hard, you will know which one is "中".

My experience, I have two offers on the table. I have studied salary range from salary.com and felt both are very good offers. Even though they matched my former company, I felt the number is justified (my former company paid me well too) for an unknow employee. However, they are very different in what I will do. After talking with my wife, my friend I respect, my former boss (we are very close), and myself, I happily accepted one without negociation of salary. Now, I have been working in the new company for a few months, and have impressed quite a few people, now I am ready to go in an ask for a raise.

Thanks for reading this long post and hope it helps.

Please feel free to qqh me if you have any questions.