According to figures published by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) the three months to May saw an overall fall in those out of work by 65,000.  A fall is good but it still leaves a staggering 2.58 million out of work.  Despite this drop the number of those in long term unemployment rose by 18,000 and, according to the Work and Pensions Secretary, half of those currently without employment have been out of work for over six months.  Seasonal changes may account for some of the rises although the overall trend seems to be a slow and steady return to work.  However, for those out of work for a long period, the competition for jobs is fierce and, whether true or not, there is a perception that employers prefer to take on staff who have been out of work for only a short period.  So how do you improve your chances of finding work?

Olympic Tasks

The obvious answer may be to apply to become a security guard at the Olympics; however, these jobs are short term and won’t keep you off the unemployed statistics for long.  The first thing to consider is an overhaul to your resume.  If you’ve been unemployed for over six months, and have not updated your resume, then there’s a big gap in it developing.  Do whatever you can to fill this gap; obviously it is important to be honest but if you have done any voluntary work, helped out an elderly relative or have done anything else that shows you’ve been making use of the time in a constructive way it’s worth adding to the resume.

Black Holes

If a gap has developed don’t allow it to get any bigger.  Speak to your local job centre about any training or voluntary opportunities that may be available in your area.  Voluntary work can be a really good way to fill up a developing black hole in your work history; it can also help to remain active and develop and additional new skills which may open more doors on the employment front.

Promotional Matters

If you have worked in an industry for several years look into the possibility of taking training in your normal area of work to develop your skills.  A good example would be a SMTS (site management) course for those who have construction site experience.  Although the construction industry has been hit hard in the recession a number of major projects and incentives are being put in place by the government to encourage growth in this sector.  Taking site management training can open up a range of opportunities and not only help you back into work but even result in a promotion.

Competitive Chances

For those who have limited work experience – those leaving school or university – taking training can also be a great idea.  The problem that you’ll face when searching for jobs is that a school or college qualification is one thing, while experience is another matter.  Many employers will be keen for those with experience which means that they don’t have to provide training for new starters.  To beat off some of the competition, consider an industry relevant vocational course – childcare, catering, business administration and health and safety qualifications will all help to increase your employability in the eyes of potential employers in the relevant industries.

Confidence Tricks

Although it seems to be taking some time, there are some signs that the employment market is expanding.  For those who have been out of work for long periods it’s important to ensure that you can fill in any gaps on your resume and emphasise to potential employers that you have used the time constructively; whether it’s further training or voluntary work.  It can be very hard to remain positive and retain your self-esteem if you have been unemployed for a long period and by taking the time to fill in gaps in your resume with any additional training or voluntary work you will not only improve your prospects but also your confidence in yourself.

This article was written by SMSTS course. For the long term unemployed, staying on top of training in your own industry (such as a SMSTS course for construction workers) can help to improve your prospects, your resume and your confidence.

Whether you’re looking for catering positions or account executive jobs, job hunting can be hard. And the hardest thing of all is staying motivated to keep job hunting when you haven’t heard back from the recruiter or, worse still, have just received a rejection letter.

For any job seeker the biggest battle you face is the internal battle you fight with yourself: whilst you’re telling yourself you’re not good enough and you’re never going to get a job you still have to put on a brave face and keep sending out those perfectly targeted CVs.

So how do you stay motivated when you’re job hunting? Well we have some tips:

1. Get into a routine

Many unmotivated job seekers find they apply for roles as and when they feel like it, sleep until late, and find any excuse to leave their computers and sit and watch daytime TV instead of visiting recruitment websites. If you’re this kind of jobseeker, you’re only setting yourself up for more failure.

Instead you need to treat job hunting like it’s a job, and your new 9-5 role is getting yourself employed! Set an alarm and get out of bed bright and early. Have a shower and get dressed: nothing was ever achieved by someone still sitting in their pyjamas at lunchtime! Write a motivational checklist of things you want to do each day, such as apply for five new roles or review your CV. Avoid checking Facebook constantly: nothing will have changed in the 30 minutes since you last checked it! Finally, pick up the phone. Proactively calling recruiters lets them know you’re keen and eager to find a new role.

2. Don’t let job hunting change your personality

Your friends, family, and everyone who loves you will understand that job hunting is a difficult time, and you’re not going to be the best version of you right now. But don’t use this as an excuse to take out your anger and frustrations on the people closest to you. Try to remember that your unemployment will be just as tough on those who love you as it is on you. It is painful for your parents to watch you struggle. Your partner might worry about how you’re going to pay the bills.

Don’t forget that just because you’re not working doesn’t mean you can’t still contribute something to your home. Spend your down time doing some chores around the house: this will be especially appreciated if you still live at home with your parents. Also remember to ask your partner or friends about their careers and working days. It might be painful to talk about the work place when you’re out of work, but your friends and family will appreciate you showing an interest in that area of their lives.

3. Don’t take it personally

When they see another rejection letter sitting on the door mat, or receive another email telling them they just weren’t right for the job, many job hunters find their motivation levels dip dramatically, and blame themselves for not getting the role. This is something every job hunter experiences at least once, and really shouldn’t get you down. Acknowledge your feelings of disappointment, and then try to move on.

Want to turn this rejection into something positive? Then ask for feedback from the interviewer. They might say something nice about your application, which will boost your self esteem. More helpfully, they’re also likely to give you feedback about what you can improve on that will help you get the next role!

Finally, remember how many successful people have had to accept failure on their path to achieving what they wanted. Notch these first few failures up to experience, and know that the perfect job is out there for you somewhere.

Citations:

• Photo credit: Joshua Hoffman

Tor Brierley is a freelance writer who has written for Yahoo, Brand Republic, and gurgle magazine.

The rise of the smartphone has only meant one thing; the rise of the smartphone app. Now you can pretty much get anything you want on your phone and, what’s more, you can get it on the move. Hunting for a new job has never been more accessible, so we take you through 10 of the best smartphone apps to help your job hunt.

C-V Library

This free app allows the user not only to search over 50,000 live job vacancies, but also apply directly via the app itself. Users can narrow their search by looking at specific industry vacancies and they can save jobs as well as email them to themselves or a friend to save for later application. New vacancies are added all the time and you can edit your cover letter on the app itself and tailor each application.

Job Compass

If you want to search jobs within your region then Job Compass is an extremely useful app. Free to download it uses the iPhone GPS locator to find your location and then searches for jobs within a radius which you can set yourself. The app can then give you additional information about the jobs which you are interested in and also the ability to apply from your iPhone itself.

Career Bliss

Career Bliss is an app that not only helps the user to search job vacancies, but is there to ensure happiness in the workplace. It is an online career community with over 3 million vacancies and allows access to independent company reviews and salary expectation to ensure that you know the most about the company that you are applying to.

BusyBee

BusyBee is an app aimed at freelancers, and features companies who want to out-source temporary jobs or one-off specialist roles. You can search roles via specific locations or narrow the search to your specific skill set. It is a great app for those job seekers who want a more flexible approach.

Jobs and Career Test

If you are unsure which jobs you should be applying for, and indeed which jobs you are suited to, then this free app is for you. Through a series of questions this app will help you find out your personality type and tell you which workplace you would be suited in and what jobs you should look out for.

Linked In

Linked In is a professional social networking site and this app makes your Linked In profile accessible on the move. Your professional profile can be used to find other like professionals and career opportunities. With over 161 million worldwide users you can share content and connect with people from all industries. The app will also keep you up to date with all the latest industry news.

Monster Jobs

Monster Jobs is already a popular jobs website and the app allows you to access your account from your iPhone. You can search and apply for jobs as well as having jobs that fit your criteria emailed to you. As well as being able to edit your pofile it connects to other social media sites such as Foursquare, allowing you to search for jobs near the locations that you visit frequently.

Business Card Reader

Face to face networking is often a great way to meet new business contacts and find new job opportunities, and now exchanging information by business card, has never been easier. As opposed to the conventional business card which is often impractical and may be misplaced, the business card reader available on your smartphone can scan in the information on the card and store it to your phone so the contact will never be lost.

Good Job

Being organised will help you stay ahead in the job market. This app allows you to track and save all to do tasks as well as interviews and job contacts. Having all this information in one place makes it easier prioritise to and work out when you have interviews booked or CVs to send off to. It is fully customisable and allows you to assign “priority statues” to each task.

Job Finder

Job Finder allows you to search jobs via location and type but also taps in to other jobs sources such as Monster Jobs and Indeed.com making the jobs available a very comprehensive list of the jobs available. You can also contact the employer directly from the app itself and save jobs you wish to apply for at a later stage.

Jonny D loves collecting apps, gadgets and anything else tech related that he can get his hands on! He currently works for Ladbrokes.

Interviews are never going to be a fun way to send your tie, but you can make it so much better for yourself by not doing any of the following. You would be surprised at how many people actually do these, and funnily enough don’t get the job!

First impression

Everyone one knows that making a good first impression is vital. Which is why most people put on a suit and make themselves look smart. It is also important to make the first few seconds of the interview a good few seconds. Nine times out ten you will be introduced to your interviewers and the dreaded handshake will come into play. Although it has absolutely no bearing on how well you can do the job if you do this badly you will be remembered for all the wrong ones.  Certain character traits can be gained from how a person shakes hand s so if you know what they are looking for you can avoid the pitfalls.

• Limp – Be firm, but remember it is not a test of manliness. Squeezing too hard is just as bad as a limp handshake. Your interviewers will take from this that you are disinterested.
• Over friendly – You don’t want to come across as over confident, and put more into the handshake than is needed.  This will only put you in the car salesman category, insincere.
• Avoidance – Many people try to avoid given a hand shake, more than you would think. So instead they panic and give a half handshake. Almost try and just grab your fingers rather than your hand. This is bad as it makes you look timid and quite frankly a little strange.

Next time you are out with your friends just give a few practice handshakes, if you have a bad one they will tell you soon enough. Once you know then you can easily change. Some people naturally give a bad handshake, but with a little practice you can easily improve your ‘technique’ and give a handshake like a pro.

Nervous talkers

I put myself in this category, as on a couple of interviews I have rambled so much when answering a questions I forgot what the question was. To avoid this I have learnt to hold back a little with my ramblings and try and focus on the question. Refer back to it and keep your answers concise. The best way to do this is to prepare for the interview, read up on common questions. Find out about the company you are hoping to get a job at. Normally it is when you are unsure that the extra chat starts to come out.

Being negative

It is so easy to slip into doing this without thinking, but never refer to current or previous employers in a negative manner. You may well have plenty of good reasons to think that your current boss is the worst on history, but keep this to yourself.  The interviewer will only presume that you will do the same to them. Keep positive and focus on how it has improved your experience and expertise.

Being late

It is pretty obvious this one but I would also put in the same camp being too early. Turning u a t a company only to sit outside the interview room for ages looks bad. Both just highlight bad time keeping skills. If you can’t judge your transport needs for an interview then what chances do you have at getting t right for just a normal day at work. Plane your route, test your route, and turn up on time. If this involves sitting in your car for half an hour then so be it. Make it look to your potential new employer that your time keeping skills are impeccable.

It‘s in the Eyes

Eye contact is a good indicator on your levels of confidence, so you need to try getting this right. Whatever you do don’t presume that staring at someone is making you look confident, in fact it will just make you look creepy. Similar to the over talking issue, getting the right balance of eye contact can be achieved from a little bit of role play practice.

Tell me about yourself question

It happens in almost all interviews, the about you question. It is really easy to stumble at this stage. People often find it tricky to big themselves up and realistically. Be honest on succinct if you don’t prepare for this you will just simply ramble.

Write you pros and cons down on paper and then try and relate these to actual job examples. I would suggest trying to come with three killer examples of your greatness in previous employment.  Include an example of how you see your career developing and how you see this happening within your new company.

This article was contributed by Haven Power – Business Electricity.

Remember when people actually believed it was worthwhile to invest time and energy creating resume templates for employment sites like Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com?

The simple fact is that while these are very reputable websites with laudable goals of finding people gainful employment, their success has had the ironic effect of making them less effective due to the deluge of people using the services. It’s not that people aren’t finding jobs using these sites, it’s that statistically speaking those people aren’t likely to be you.

So, what’s the answer?

The good news is that there are still some good online resources for job searchers, but it will depend on where you are in your search and your current career trajectory.

LinkedIn

They don’t call it “the world’s largest professional network” for nothing. LinkedIn is the Facebook of the working world and a hub for both job seekers and employers.

LinkedIn is a surefire way to get your networking plan in order and off the ground. You can upload multiple resumes, list previous employers, add photos and biographical information, and generally build a workable online profile and portfolio that is accessible to potential employers.

What’s more, many savvy employers are now adding a LinkedIn tether in their online application process, so if you have an up-to-date account it can make your application process that much easier and more seamless.

USAJOBS

USAJOBS.com is the go-to website for federal employment, and while state employment budgets may be shrinking we all know the federal government is excellent at spending money it doesn’t have – particularly on its own growth.

Applying to federal jobs can be tricky, however, and anyone using USAJOBS for the first time should do some research on just how the website works. It is a hub for a large spectrum of federal employers, each of which has different screening processes and hiring tactics. The key is to read up on how your agency of choice reviews resumes and tailor your online application accordingly.

Resumetemplates.org

Simply put, you should just bookmark this site. Regardless of all the newfangled technologies and digital networking strategies used today, the resume is still one of the most successful tools to getting that coveted first job interview.

This website is a no-frills access point for free resume templates of all types. There are no gimmicks, pop-ups or weird nonsense. Just go there and find a template that suits your market and go to work. There are samples, a resume builder and tips and advice of all kinds. It’s an invaluable asset for any person who needs help with basic resume-writing techniques.

Craigslist

A lot of people think Craigslist is the place to go for a used couch or a deal on a great apartment. And, it is – but it’s also great for finding jobs.

Craigslist has job listings in every category from accounting to Web design in every major and medium-sized market in the United States, organized by city name. Just click on your location of choice, view the job categories and select an area that interests you, and watch the job opportunities literally scroll down the screen.

The great thing about Craigslist is that it attracts every kind of employer, from huge companies like Amazon to individual people looking for a contractor to do work on short-term projects of every kind. You may be surprised to find a brand-new career path just by scrolling the wide array of jobs found on Craigslist.

Facebook and Google+

Between these two social networking sites, anyone could possible want to know to give you a job or help you get a job is accessible – but you have to sign up and cultivate your profile.

Both networks are fast developing into business hubs in their own ways and while many people use them strictly for socializing that is not the limit of their powers. Both sites will allow you to establish your own “business” profile that can stand apart from your personal page wherein you can build a profile, set up a network of contacts and use it as your platform for self-promotion.

Remember…

These are just a handful of resources available to the savvy job seeker. There are numerous other websites that may be of use to you, many of which are likely specific to your personal experience and history: school alumni career boards, local networking clubs, industry forums and the like. Use these sites as well as the ones listed above to maximize the tools at your disposal in your job search.

Good luck!

James Madeiros writes for Criminal Justice Degree Schools, a leading resource on how to get started in the criminal justice career field and featuring a directory of schools offering criminal justice degrees and interviews with law enforcement professionals.

Landing your first job right out of college is not easy. You have done the hard work to earn your degree, and unfortunately there is still a great deal of work to do to land a job. Here are some tips to help you along the way.

Be on Time

You should always plan to arrive at an interview early. Showing up before your scheduled time not only shows that you are a person with good time management, but communicates that you can be counted on and are reliable as well. By allowing yourself this extra time, you have allotted yourself a bit of insurance should you come upon some unforeseen circumstances that might have otherwise delayed you.

Dress to Impress

This is a simple concept that is so very important. When you walk through those doors into the interview, this is the first impression you are going to make on your new potential employers. If your shirt is wrinkled or you come in dressed very casually, you will give off the air of complacency or lack of enthusiasm. If you come in dressed professionally, you will show that you are taking the interview seriously, that you respect yourself and you deserve to be respected.

Triple Check Your Resume

This may seem like a no brainer, but more times than not people leave the editing process out. Whether they omit this important step due to being anxious or excited makes no difference, forgetting to take a careful look at the spelling and grammar on your resume could be the one thing standing between you and an interview.

Relate Your Experience

Don’t discount your volunteer work or projects you have completed for classes or other extracurricular organizations. By discussing these experiences in interviews, you can demonstrate your work ethic and commitment. Bring relevance to your experiences. Relate them to the work you are interviewing to do. Find ways to compare your past work with the work you are hoping to be able to do for the company you are interviewing for. Discussing the similarities of the jobs, past and future can possibly aid an interviewer in picturing you as the one to fill a certain position.

Ask Specific Questions

When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, ask good ones that show that you are interested in the position and have a solid knowledge of the company and what they are all about. Do your research about the company and then find ways to subtly show that you are in the know. Once you get the job, you can ask questions later to decide if you want to accept it.

Show Enthusiasm

No one wants to hire someone that is complacent. A good employee is one that is passionate and driven and has exciting new ideas. Find ways in your interview to demonstrate your passion and present yourself as an energetic innovative hard worker who is excited to get started.

Choose Your Words Carefully

When you are in an interview situation it is important to consider both the words you choose and your phrasing very carefully. You do not want to offend your interviewer in any way or present yourself in a less than flattering manner. By thinking before you speak, you can ensure that you show that you are an eloquent, educated candidate for the job who knows how to behave appropriately in the work place.

Know Specifics About Why You Are a Good Fit

Know the requirements of the job that you are applying for and the specific tasks you would be performing should you receive the position. With a greater understanding of what would be required of you in the position, you can show ways that you are qualified for the job by giving examples of past experiences that are relative. Don’t miss the opportunity to give specific examples of your own character traits and how they would benefit specific tasks.

Show Them Why They Should Like You

Engage the interviewer. Show that you are an interesting and dynamic individual. Always be considerate and never interrupt. You want to demonstrate in the interview that you are a good communicator and have good social skills. Remember, not only are you interviewing for a job, you are also potentially about to become a member of an already established community in the work place. Whether or not you will fit in is an important piece of the puzzle.

No One Owes You a Job, You Have to Earn It

Never approach an interview as if you are entitled to the position based on your education or past experience. It is an employer’s market these days and there are hundreds if not thousands of applicants for every job. You have to earn every opportunity. Do not expect for any position to be simply handed to you. Make it your goal to show the employers why they HAVE to choose you.

George Gallagher writes for education and financial publications. He is also a consultant to recent graduates looking for help understanding private student loan consolidation and other financial questions.

The job market across much of the country continues to remain fairly dismal, and unemployment is still hovering over 8 percent. If you’re one of the millions of Americans struggling to find employment, you may feel as if you’ve left your motivation somewhere in the gutter.

It is vital, however, that you keep your motivation alive so that you can increase your chances of finding a new job. Remember: your outlook can often greatly impact your future success, so staying motivated is important, especially when searching for a job.

Here are the top four ways to stay motivated while you hunt for your next job:

Avoid talking negatively

Although you may feel unmotivated and even quite blue about your situation, bemoaning your bad luck to others will only continue to affect your outlook and motivation (and make others avoid you!). Steer clear of negative topics – and steer clear of talking about your employment situation at all, if possible.

You will likely notice an immediate change in your attitude and outlook. Your friends and family can be a great source of motivation, so keep your loved ones close to you as you search for your next job.

Stay constructive instead of complaining

Instead of wasting your energy complaining about your bad situation, use the opportunity to ask friends, family and business associates for sound words of advice. Plus, your positive attitude and constructive conversation may very well get noticed by someone who may be looking for an employee just like you! Often times, if we simply stop talking and start listening, we can learn a lot from others, and it may just be the information we need to land our next job!

Get moving

Don’t let your unemployment sour you on actively looking for work. Although you may have suffered your share of setbacks regarding employment, the quickest way to lose motivation is to stop the search. Keep the process moving forward and keep the search up. Your attitude and outlook will likely improve because your daily job searches will make you feel as if you are accomplishing something and working toward a successful future. And don’t just sit on the computer. Hit the pavement and drop off your resume, in person; you never know who you’ll impress by your extra efforts!

Consider the things you don’t say

Our nonverbal communication is often as effective as our verbal communication. If you lose your motivation, your facial expressions – and even your body language – will respond accordingly. If you want to portray the self-confidence necessary to land your next job, you will need to get your attitude in order so your body and facial expressions will follow suit.

It only takes one job to turn your life around – and you could easily land that job as soon as tomorrow.  While you may be currently using introductory credit card deals as a financial safety net, keeping a positive outlook will more quickly translate into positive results.

Grace Carter from CreditDonkey posted this article.  CreditDonkey helps inform consumers of the latest credit card offers and deals available.

In this economy, it’s important to do everything you can to get a recruiter to remember you. Going the extra mile could be the difference between getting a job offer and not getting one. An MBA and experience alone won’t impress recruiters, but by following these helpful tips, you could increase your chances of getting an interview.

Send a Follow-Up Note

Following up with a recruiter by sending them a note is an ideal way to get them to remember you. A handwritten note will make you stand out from other applicants, and remind the recruiter that you are available, interested, and thoughtful. It’s important to send a follow-up note in the right way. Be sure to let the recruiter know that you enjoyed speaking with them, and reiterate your interest in their company. Don’t talk about yourself too much, but do feel free to include some highlights relating to your education and work experience. Above all, mention that you hope to hear from them in the future, and include your contact information so they can easily get in touch with you.

Learn How to Tell a Compelling Story

When talking with recruiters, they’ll want to know more about you. They can find out the basics from your résumé, but what they really want to know is why. Why did you choose to go to a particular college? Why did you decide to major in History before going on to complete your MBA? Why did you decide to pursue an MBA after five years of experience in electrical engineering? Most of all, why do you want to work for their company? If you have an engaging story, one that is compelling and memorable, recruiters are more likely to remember you and want to speak with you again. Practice telling the story of how you got to where you are today with a friend or family member. It will make it much easier to tell your life story to a recruiter if you’ve told it dozens of times before to someone else.

It’s also important to be prepared to talk about why you want to work for their company. Recruiters are used to hearing MBA students give a short answer to why they want to work for their company. To really blow everyone else out of the water and make the recruiter remember you, have a more detailed answer prepared. For maximum effectiveness, make your answer about how your education and experience can benefit the company. You want to talk about how you can be an asset, but you don’t want to focus on how getting the job would benefit you personally. All of the focus should be on how hiring you would be beneficial for the company.

Show Them What You Can Do

A great way to get a recruiter to remember you is to prepare something that really shows what you can do. For example, if you’re an MBA student hoping to get a marketing job after graduation, you could prepare a brief presentation that highlights some ways you believe the company could increase sales. Whatever your field of interest, make a mock presentation and show it to the recruiter, then ask if you can email them a copy later.

Andy Anderson is a career counselor and writes for a site that outlines the best MBA programs, featuring extensive information and listings for the best online MBA programs available.

Many people are out of work, and they are looking for new jobs. With the slow economy, many people have been laid off due to a company having to downsize their expenses. Some of the companies thought this could save their company from going out of business completely; but this caused more people to start looking for new employment. Being unemployed is hard enough, but it is even harder trying to save on the gas used to hunt a job. But there are some tips that might help you conserve your gas usage while you look for that new job.

The first tip is to use your existing contacts and people you know. Inform them that you are now looking for employment, and if they know of any job openings to let you know. With the social media’s, we have more contacts than ever before; and the social medias can be used to our advantage. When you let people know you are looking for a job, you will have a chance to hear about a job opening sooner. By using this method, you can conserve your gas since you will only drive to job sites that are actually hiring.

A second method to conserve your gas is to prepare a resume that you can mail or fax to possible new employers. They will have the opportunity to review your resume, and then they can call you for an interview if they are interested in talking to you. This is another opportunity for you to conserve your gas; since you will only travel to them if they call you in for an interview.

A third method to save your gas usage is to look online for a job, and post your completed resume on some sites. But you will still need to apply for some of these jobs in person. There is several online job search engines that you can use to find a job in your area. These sites will allow you to post your resume, and the employers that are interested will be able to contact you by email or phone. This can narrow your travel time down and conserve your gas. You will only be going to employers that have shown an interest in you; you will not be making trips to every job you found online.

There will be a time that you will need to leave your house and actually go to the physical location of a business to look for a job. It is better to have a list of where to go to look for a job at before you leave home; this will make your driving more efficient and use less gas on the trip. Having a good road plan will ensure less gas usage. You will know exactly where you are going without making unnecessary turns and using more gas. It might not seem like very much saved, but every dollar you can save on gas adds up.

Another gas saving tip is to check your area for job fairs. A job fair will be in one location, and you will have opportunities to meet company representatives from the areas. The companies are looking for employees to represent their company. By attending a job fair, you will get to meet these representatives of these companies on a personal level; and all at one location. This will save you the gas of going to each individual company.

If you are unemployed, you will want to conserve all your money to pay your bills. Conserving the gas it takes to travel for job hunting is no different. Locating the best job can become expensive if you do not follow these tips. If you go out and just travel around with no idea of where to look or not care how much gas you use, then you will be broke before you find a job. Simple planning techniques are the solution to save gas while job hunting as well as using your contacts and online searches; you can save gas.

Marcie McDonald is an insurance consultant who writes for cheapestcarinsurance.org.uk and highly recommends checking online for car insurance comparison websites. This site even includes classic car insurance quotes.

Julia Child has become a household name among cooks in the United States and even throughout the world. Even beyond her death, her story and her impact on the culinary world continue to live on. While Ms.Child did not initially set out to become a world famous chef and household name, her career savvy and perseverance paid off by creating a career to which others can aspire to achieve.

Lesson #1 – Do Your Background Homework

Ms. Child is famous for her French cooking, but she did not know how to even speak French when she arrived in France with her husband in the 1940s. Determined to make her situation work, she invested the time and effort into learning the language of the culture that eventually became her passion. In order to advance your career, take classes, learn something new about your industry or technology.

Lesson #2 – Find Your Passion and Follow It

Ms. Child loved living in France. She also discovered that she loved French food. This passion and enthusiasm followed her throughout her entire career. Find out what you are passionate about and make it your life’s work. If it is sport fishing, find a way to integrate that into your work. Work should be something you enjoy and want to do, not something that is a dredge and to be avoided.

Lesson #3 – Keep Learning

Ms. Child did not start her career as a chef until she was well into her 30s. She was not only passionate about food, but she wanted to excel in being a chef. She took every class she could find and worked at it diligently until she had mastered whatever cooking technique or skill needed to succeed. Take the attitude that you never “arrive,” but instead are on an interesting and exciting journey.

Lesson #4 – Be Joyous

One of the things that set Ms. Child apart from chefs of her time was her enthusiasm and excitement about what she was doing. To watch her was to see her absolute joy and excitement about food, especially French food. Follow your joy and your passions and demonstrate and express your enthusiasm for your work.

Lesson #5 – Know that it Takes Hard Work

Being successful takes work. Ms. Child continued to be creative and find innovative solutions, even into her later years. She was willing to make the extra effort to not just pass her classes in culinary school, but wanted to be the top in her class. Do whatever it takes to reach your goals and achieve excellence in your field.

Lesson #6 – Acknowledge that You Make Mistakes and Keep Going

One of the things that Ms. Child did not waste time on was wallowing if she messed up and made a mistake. If something flopped, then it did not work and she moved on. She used failures as an opportunity to learn and moved forward. Know that you are human and will make mistakes. Use the lessons learned about what not to do and go forward, knowing you will do better next time.

Lesson #7 – Ask for Feedback

Ms. Child recognized that in her passion for French food, she was introducing something new to the American public at large. She frequently asked family and friends for feedback about what they liked and what they found easiest to make from her recipes and cookbooks. Be willing to hear what others have to say about your work and ideas.

Lesson #8 – Build on Your Foundation

Ms. Child was not satisfied to just be a cook. She wanted to be a chef, then she wanted to be a teacher. With each new skills, she developed a new set of goals and reached for them. Be willing to continue to develop your skills and build upon your foundation.

Lesson #9 – Be Willing to Test the Theory

Ms. Child quickly learned that food is a passion in France and an entire art unto itself. She became quite willing and wanted to test ideas and concept out, until she had absolute knowledge that they worked. Be willing to take a risk and challenge the status quo. You might be surprised and learn that just because something has always been done a certain way, does not mean it has to be done that way forever.

Lesson #10 – Value Yourself

Ms. Child’s first efforts at introducing French cooking to the American public were not easy. In fact, they took many, many years. She understood intuitively that what she wanted to accomplish was of value and could be successful. Even if you are faced with challenges in achieving your goals or introducing new innovations, stay determined and keep trying. Eventually, you will get there.

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