Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall

When you are job searching, how often do these sentences enter your thoughts? “I refuse to take a low paying job.” “I have a college degree and will not work in a retail store” or “I’m not working at McDonald’s.” If these words sound familiar, you have too much pride and need to step down from your pedestal.

Pride – a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. – Dictionary.com

Pride can be beneficial when it builds up your confidence in your work. But not when you are in need of income and/or experience. If you feel too proud to try these job positions, take a lesson from this guy who’s trying work in 50 states with 50 different careers in 50 weeks.

I am not advocating taking a low wage job but rather taking the job that is currently available. You have to work smart, not hard. Sitting around and waiting for that perfect job is not effective. Find that job first and keep seeking while you have that job. Try submitting multiple resumes daily almost like spam described in step 5. If you go by this shotgun resume method, you will have the option to pick and choose the best wages and benefits these jobs offer. If you are in the situation where you recently graduated and your specific job market is very competitive, find a job that will build on your career. Retail is always good for any career because you can gain customer relations and sales experience.

Remember, be proud but don’t be arrogant. So get out there and work smart!

7 Steps To Getting That Job Now!

So you keep telling yourself, “I want to find a job now!” But what have done to begin the job process? Things don’t get done on their own until you get started. Alright. You want a new job. What should you do?

1. Get out a piece of paper and a pen. Use your hand to sweep everything on your desk. Do it aggressively! This technique will lift your energy and create an empty work space. Start writing your resume. If you are reading this article from work, wait til you get home to start step one. I don’t think your boss will appreciate your work crap on the floor.

2. The next day, after finishing your resume, re-read your resume and look for any errors or omissions. Then give the resume to multiple trustworthy people who can help you review it. Find someone who is willing to give you constructive criticism, meaning someone who will be unemotionally in your resumes critique. The point is to find the best parts and weakest parts in your resume. You should be fully prepared for this and not feel attacked. Not all criticism is negative and you should be using this criticism as a way to improve your chances at finding work. Only a real friend would tell you the truth.

3. After receiving the criticism, make the corrections. Search for jobs you might be interested in at badeconomyjobs or larger work and job sites like Monster, Indeed or USAJobs. Look into your local neighborhood jobs. Libraries, schools and newspapers typically post new jobs. These 3 steps should take no more time than a week.

4. Create multiple copies of the new resume with all your final changes. Have the resume in many common digital formats like text format, HTML format, Word format and PDF format. This way you can easily submit to the job websites. Find the jobs you are interested in and upload your resumes.

5. This is the part where persistence and a bit of resume spam comes into play. Make sure to apply to at least 3-4 jobs on one night. Everyday thereafter, apply to 3-4 jobs. Make sure you are keeping track of your applications. By the end of two weeks, you should have applied to at least 42 jobs. The math works out to 7 days x 3 resumes a day x 2 weeks = 42 resumes. A resume upload should take no more than 1 hour. That’s 3 hours of job posting work a day.

6. Follow up with email or calls from the earlier job postings if they have not responded. This is where your job tracking journal makes things much easier. Use the journal to help you track job interview dates. Make sure not to schedule interview dates on the same day.

7. Repeat the process til you get the job. Do not get discouraged. This last step is as crucial to the job process as the first step. Good luck!

I want to help my family with finances but I’m not old enough. For those teenagers with that mind-set, I commend you. As a teenager, particular for those 13 to 15 years of age, many job opportunities are unavailable due to age requirements. But don’t worry, you are not limited to lemonade stands and babysitting jobs for those few years.

Start a cleaning or yard maintenance service. Depending on the season, you might be shoveling the snow out of someone’s front yard or raking leaves and cutting grass. For the cleaning service, when it’s Spring cleaning, you can help people clear their garages, attics or basements. This is a particularly effective service for the elderly who might have a tough time cleaning their homes.

Car washing, painting rooms or houses are jobs where you can get a bunch of your friends and get it done in one afternoon. The key is to find local businesses willing to give you a chance.

Other ideas include a dog walking or pet sitting job. You can look after the pets while the owners are away on business or vacation. Much like baby-sitting, you will have to clean and feed them. Most of the time, they will be asleep.

Like to travel a lot in your neighborhood? You could try an errand, messenger, or delivery service. Ask local businesses if they need someone to deliver their goods to their clients. It’s great exercise and lets you see more of your surroundings.

Are you savy with the latest technology and can fix computers? Then consider helping people with their computer problems. Much of the programs to fix software problems are free and widely available online. Maybe, you can also teach someone to use a computer. If computers aren’t your forte, find out what you could teach, such as a new language or math. Tutors get paid on average 10 to 20 dollars an hour. Charge your friends or school mates if they need additional help on a topic.

These ideas should be enough to get your started. Even if you don’t make a lot of money, you will build up your resume and have lots of work and job experience.