You have been recently released and need a job to get on with the rest of your life. Hopefully you have learned that life is all about choices. The choices you continue to make will shape your life. The job search is all about choices too.
Because you have a criminal record, you will be faced with different challenges than the average job seeker. Your record will make your job search more interesting. There is a choice to be made here too. You can do what many ex-offenders do and hope that a prospective employer will not hold your record against you. Another choice is, you can make yourself legitimately competitive in the open employment market by developing the skills and attitudes that will allow you to compete for a job. Can you tell an employer in five minutes or less what you can do and how your skills can benefit him? How is your dress? Do you look like you are going to a club or to hang out with some friends or do you look like a businessman with a product to sell? Do you have definite plan of action that includes of prospective employers to call on? Do have a resume that outlines you skills, experience or qualifications? If you answered “No” to any one of these questions, you have some work to do.
Step One: Identify your skills. I bet if you really look, you have at least 30 skills that would benefit an employer.
Step Two: Develop a resume that a prospective employer can look at and get an idea of what type of person you are and what you have to offer.
Step Three: Decide what type of work you want to do and how your skills will help you be successful in the field you choose.
Step Four: Develop a list of prospective employers to call on. Get help from friends, relatives, and members of your community to help you get leads for open jobs. That is called “Networking.”
Step Five: Get your wardrobe together. The clothing you wear both on your job search and interviews should be neat, clean and professional. Your clothes should say “I am the person for this job!”
Step Six: Practice you interview skills. Anticipate questions and practice answering until your responses sound confident and natural
One additional choice you must make is to never give up!
Get more great advice on ex-offender job searching at http://www.Jailtojob.com
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Contributor's Note
Eric Mayo specializes in professional and personal development with special emphasis on life skills and job readiness training. Eric has over 20 years of corporate and educational experience which he uses to help people improve the quality of their lives. Eric has been studying, learning, applying and executing the art of personal achievement and leadership throughout his career. It is truly his passion and his gift. He combines a straight forward approach and real-world perspective with a presentation style that is inspirational and motivational. His primary message is, “Independence through Self-Reliance" You can contact Eric at www.jailtojob.com
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