Graduating this Year & Worrying About Employment?....

Still, the government is the largest employer in the country even elsewhere. There are a number of vacancies in government agencies, you only have to qualify yourself to get one. What do you need to do?

Decide what you want to do. 

With this I mean, think where your education can be applied. In most cases except for specialized courses, our baccalaureate degree can be applied in any line of work. What type of work you want    to  do. Do you want to go for a clerical post? In most government agencies, you start at the lowest  position and in most offices, it's clerical.

 Look for government publications of vacancies

Try the local papers, the office website or ask anyone you know from the government agency of  your choice.

Prepare your application letter

 Write a letter application for the position you want to apply for and attached a resume and your Civil  Service eligibility

 Submit your application letter

Have your application be submitted to the government agency of your choice. The trend now though   is you apply to all the posted vacancies from the different government office which you believe you   are qualified

 Follow up your application 

 You have to monitor your application status if the agency has not advised you of what to expect. at  times, the government agency will tell you to wait for further notice.

Prepare for the preliminaries

 You have to brace yourself of what is to come next. Qualifying exams, interviews are needed to 

 determine your fitness for the job. Study the agency you want to work for and learn what it is all

 about.

The government employs "NO WORK, NO PAY" principle. It is not true that in government, you can be a happy go lucky guy. There is a lot of work to be done. The government does not tolerate lazy people. Goodluck on your job hunting.

Looking to get hired? Dress for it...

When going for a job interview whether it is for the first time or nth time, you have to dress for it. Making a good impression with the way you dress can win you half of the battle. Interviews are formal endeavors, thus, it call for business attires. You have been taught in school that you need to dress appropriately for every occasion and one such occasion is interview.

 For male, a coat and tie is the most appropriate one. Make sure though that you match your tie with your coat.  for women, a blazer and a skirt would do. Never wear casual to an interview, it is one of the DON'TS in dressing.

Here are some tips on what not to do when dressing for an interview:

• Do not forget to wear stockings
• Do not wear sports gear 
• No open shoes
• No to too much jewelries
• No to loud colors
• Do not wear clothes that bares your back or middle

Why dress for an interview? Dressing well for an interview has its many advantages:

• builds confidence
• a good impression 
• it gives the signal that you are interested in landing the job
• well-dressed candidates have more chances of getting hired
• signals professionalism
•  associated with intelligence and attention to details

Things to Avoid when going for a job interview

When going for a job interview remember not to make mistakes that may lead to your downfall. Everyone who goes for an interview would love to land that job and the way to do it is to make the most of the interview and as perfectly as you can. Here are some tips that you can review.

Unrehearsed

 When going for a job interview, rehearse all the possible questions that you believe will be asked. Some of the questions may seem stupid but these are to get you off the tract and see how well you can handle that situation. You are also being rated on how you attack the question, your voice quality and your emotional maturity. Update yourself with your personal information. When you are given the chance to talk about yourself which is normally done in an interview, do not talk about your basic information this is the time to sell yourself to the panel. They are looking at your data sheet so they know who you are, where you are from and what course you finished so there is nothing that they do not know. Tell them about your qualifications and convince them you are the one for the job.

Sloppily dressed

Interviewers are highly-placed officials of an organization that are critical about dress codes and dressing shoddily could hurt your chances. Wear something formal, clean and fits you well. The way you dress reflects how you will do things when at work. Panelist feels that you do not give a damn much on the job because if you do, you could have dressed properly for it.

Being late

Being late for an interview is taken as "not so good" attitude at work. The interviewers will translate this to behavioral issues that can hurt you. If you are coming from a distant place, consider the traffic and travel time to make sure that you arrive early.  

Discussing salary too early

Do not talk about salary too early. Companies not even government will give the job to an applicant that wants to get the position for the money alone. If they do not ask you about it, leave it at that. If you are asked "how much salary you want", tell them the organization will not leave you high and dry and that you are confident they will pay according to your performance"

Lying

Lying about past employment may delist you from the roll of probable appointees to the position that is being filled up. Tell the panel the truth when asked about a previous employment. Being honest might just be your ticket to your employment. Interviewers do not like to be lied upon and would give premium more to the honest applicant.

Coming to interview with an unpleasant odor

Attending an interview smelling of cigarette or liquor will do you no good.  The panel of interviewers frown at applicants who come in for an interview smelling of something unpleasant that may destruct the interviewers or one of them might have an allergy of that smell. Go to the interview smelling like you just had a bath. Refrain from using perfumes

Talk against a former employer

If you think that talking against a previous employer will be an advantage to you, you are wrong. Interviewers do not like candidates that backbite their employers. If you can do that to the previous one you can do it to them.

Chewing a gum while on an interview

Chewing a gum while you are being interviewed is bad for your case. The panel will think that you are taking them to be stupid and idiots. This can make or unmake you as a candidate for the job.

Too nervous

If you are too nervous, the interviewers will notice that you lack confidence. Employers want people who are confident of their qualities and abilities to handle a difficult task.  Before you go to your interview you rehearse your lines and make eye contact with your interviewers to establish a connection. You will be surprised to find an ally from among the panelist that will boost your confidence.

Too desperate

The interviewers know that you need the job but do not be emotional about it. Do not appeal to them for the job, just do your best and sell yourself as best as you can. Show them that you are the perfect candidate for the job since you have what they are looking for. Stay cool and calm and refrain from doing unnecessary movements. It will convey your nervousness to the interviewers.

Arrogant

Employers do not favor candidates that are arrogant. Stay respectful and humble with your accomplishments. Just present the facts and let them see what you have accomplished without having to be arrogant about it.

Pick up some of the tips discussed in this article when you are planning to go for interview. If you know everything about interviews you would not be reading this article right now. These are some of the common errors that interviewees commit that may hurt their chances.

What interviewers want to know......

In an interview, the panel of interviewers or the interviewer/s are evaluating you as a person, the way you talk, how you handle yourself in front of people, the way you dress, your grooming, your reactions, your wit, your emotional maturity, the level of confidence - in short your totality as a person. Their purpose? They want to get the best among the bests.

Some interviewers will try to erode your confidence not because they want to put you down but for them to see the person you are  - how good you can work under pressure and how you will handle a difficult situation when you are faced with it when at work.

The panel of interviewers want nothing but to hire you provided you have what they are looking for and primarily that is your qualifications fit the position and not the other way around. They cannot put a round object on a square peg so to speak. These interviewers are humans too and they have undergone what you are or will undergo and they do understand what you are going through. So just be yourself and do the best you can.

Graduates ............... where to?

Hundreds of thousands of new professionals came down the aisles with their tickets to the real world. These young professionals with all their idealism and enthusiasm plunge into the jungle with high hopes for better lives only to be confronted with the more difficult phase in their lives -  Nowhere else to go -  They encounter "NO VACANCIES". "FREEZE HIRING" every where they go. They end up employed as call center agents, clerks, typist and so on........ there is so much unemployment, underemployment even with the government's efforts to create jobs for the thousands of young people. Others opt to go overseas just to have a job. The business world is a good resource if only they too can genuinely do their civic social responsibility- share their resources- hire these young people.

Dear graduates, the government is open to hiring, you just have to find your niche and excel in what you do. Do not lose hope. If you did not make it in one interview go for another. Do not be dismayed that is not the end of the world. That job is not meant for you because there is something better for you out there, find it. I know someone -very dear to me who failed her exams for 3 times but she never gave up. She cried countless times for those failures... but her spirit to fight propelled her to do better... the determination to make it kept burning in her heart.... that was the best part. She is now holding a prestigious position in a government agency.

So dear graduates, the point is stay fighting... keep going. Find your way in the jungle and one day, you will reach the place you want to be. To all of you ....GOODLUCK!

Where To Find The Job Vacancies and When do You Get Hired

The elections is fast approaching and of course with it is the ban on hiring by the government offices, government owned and controlled corporations and all its instrumentalities. It means vacancies in government offices are on hold until the ban on hiring is lifted. 

"The Appointment or hiring of new employees; creation or filling up of new positions; 

promotion or giving of salary increases, remuneration or privilege. (Sec. 261 (g), OEC)" 

 is a prohibited act as contained in Comelec Resolution No. 9385 dated April 3, 2012. 

The prohibition takes effect on March 29, 2013 (Friday) and ends on May 13, 2013 (Monday). So graduates, you can submit your applications to government offices but do not expect to be called for interview or examination during the prohibited period. Make your follow ups after May 13, 2013. By that time government offices are ready to hire. Although technically speaking, government offices can do interviews, administer examinations and do the selection process during that period so that when the ban is lifted they are ready to hire.

Where to find the jobs? Search the internet for government offices where the vacancies are. Normally, they have it posted in their site or the site of Civil Service Commission. Visit the sites of government offices in your locality to see the job postings. 

Here are some of the sites of government offices

http://www.dilg.gov.ph/

http://www.dpwh.gov.ph

http://www.csc.gov.ph

http://www.neda.gov.ph

http://www.doh.gov.ph

http://www.dar.gov.ph

http://www.denr.gov.ph

http://www.dti.gov.ph

http://www.dot.gov.ph

http://www.da.gov.ph
http://www.dswd.gov.ph
http://www.dbm.gov.ph
http://www.dotc.gov.ph
http://www.deped.gov.ph

Just to clarify things here, the private sector is not covered by this prohibited acts. It means the private establishments and employers may hire their employees even during the prohibited period and they are not answerable to the law or to the Republic of the Philippines.

Get qualified and try government service. Good luck and hope to see you in the service of the Filipinos.

Tips On Job Interview

With the sheer number of graduates every year, jobs competition has taken an upward trend that one has to be competitive to land a good job. What are the things that one has to do to accomplish that? In previous discussions, we talked about resume writing and cover letter writing. At any time, you will be called for an interview. Here are tips you need:

Before the interview

Know the company profile

You must be ready to tell them about the company you are applying to. You must know the top people. You have to know the company’s latest accomplishments or new products that they have launched. Relate your answers to the company.

Practice 

You go in front the mirror and position yourself like you are in the interview and try to answer questions and look at yourself to see how you are reacting and move when the interview is on. Practice your answers to the questions. There are lots of interview questions available. Explore all the possible questions that may be asked and answer them in your practice session.

Dress properly

Wear a business attire when going for an interview. You should be neat and clean. Come with an extra copy of your resume or portfolio if any. Business attired people during an interview projects confidence, wittiness and interest. Most often, interviewers like to see a person in a corporate attire. Interview is a formal affair and thus needs people to be dressed properly. 

Be prompt

Being prompt is being in the interview site 10 minutes early. It would be better if you visit the interview venue the day before the actual interview to get a feel of the place and to determine how long it will take you to get there. Coming late to an interview has a negative impact. Interviewers would interpret it as disinterest on your part or that you will practice that attitude when taken in. Employers do not like tardy people.

During the Interview

Stay Calm

Establish eye contact with interviewer/s. Focus and listen carefully to what is being asked. Do not embarrass yourself by asking the interviewer to repeat the question. The interviewers know that you are nervous. In most instance, they will tell you to relax or engage you in a light conversation to make you relax before they start the interview.

Sell yourself

When you are asked a question, relate your answers to the company. Let them know what you have accomplished in relation to the requirements they are looking for in an applicant. Turn negative experiences into positive ones when ask to narrate an instance that you were in a difficult situation.

Speak clearly

Make sure that your voice can be heard within the room. You need not shout. Speak with a modulated voice neither too low nor too high. If you do not know the answer to what they are asking, tell them about an experience you encountered in your previous work or when you were in college and try to relate this to the requirements of the job.

Post Interview

Send each interviewer a thank you note through email. This is a medium of communication that has been accepted in business writing.

Interviews are purposely designed to allow employers to get to know better their prospective employees as to work attitude, values, beliefs and character that may have an impact on their jobs later.