The Importance of a Professional Portfolio Presentation

Competition for finding placement in the labor market of today is at an all time high. As technology continues to evolve and the application of design and marketing elements becomes more creative, so must the new entrepreneur in making a first impression.

One of the most valuable resources available to job seekers of today may be passed over, or even ignored - a Professional Portfolio Presentation. Typically, a portfolio is a term that many of us place hand in hand with a professional who has 20 or more years of experience in a particular career field, and we do not consider ourselves worthy of flaunting our accomplishments with such a bold statement. However, consider that even your smallest personal accomplishments are the contents that your professional portfolio is built upon. A professional portfolio is the culmination of every milestone and accomplishment in your adult life, as pertains to your career field.

If hundreds of other job seekers competing for the same position submit their résumé; only a few will make it to the interview. If of those few, only a couple report to the interview armed with a professional portfolio, who do you think will make the greatest impact on the selection board? Knowledge is power, and what you need to know; is that taking the time to develop a professional portfolio and keep it updated will be the cornerstone to your personal success in the career field of your choice.

Your portfolio is the first opportunity you have to publish yourself; it will indicate your value, portray your experience, and serve as a creative asset to intrigue prospective employers and leave a lasting impression. If well designed, the portfolio will be the most refreshing part of the interview process to panel members. When you design your presentation, don't be afraid to be creative. We live in a visual world and the use of color copies, with bold and exciting presentation techniques will provoke the interest of readers, and display your creative talents. The opportunities for expressing yourself are endless. If you find yourself at a loss for creative ideas when getting started, research some of the professional scrap book designer references for ideas. In the field of communicating via media, a well designed portfolio and a web presentation of your credentials will indicate your passion for advancement and growth, and most importantly, demonstrate your creative talent. With a great design, a visually appealing portfolio will continue to sell you and your value when you are not there!

When you submit your résumé to a prospective employer, mention in the cover letter that your portfolio is available upon request. The combination of a résumé and professional portfolio will serve to prioritize your placement in the line of potential candidates. Once you have your portfolio prepared you will carry it with you to interviews, and have it readily available on a daily basis. Be sure to have either an automated version or a professionally prepared paper copy of your traditional portfolio that you can leave with the employer; never leave your original presentation behind.

Networking opportunities come along when unexpected, and it doesn't hurt to be prepared if you find an opportunity to market your talent and you are asked for more information. Having additional copies of your credentials readily available will be impressive to curious talent scouts. If you are specializing in communications or a media related career field; an automated version of your portfolio or an online portfolio presentation is the most effective way to portray your talent and skills in web design or marketing strategies.

Why wait to put a portfolio together until you have 5, 10, or even 20 years of experience? Start to build your portfolio now, and watch it grow along with you as you progress in your career field. Not only will you have a valuable asset that sets you apart from other job seekers; you will have created a personal biography outlining your accomplishments and success that will serve as a legacy to leave behind for your family, friends, and loved ones.

Lisa Parker, CPRW is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Owner of Parker-CPRW, http://www.parkercprw.com, and a Member of The Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches (PARW-CC).

by Lisa Parker, CPRW

Common job interview questions and how to respond to them

In this article we aim to look at the most common questions you will be asked during an important Job interview and what you should consider when answering them. There is nothing worse than being caught off guard by an interview question and stuttering out some ramblings that don't make sense. So it is always best to try and think of good answers for expected questions. Each different company and job type will lead to specific questions but in this article we are going to look at some common questions that crop up.

Can you tell me about yourself? This is an extremely common question and can be expected in almost all job interviews. So why is it asked? Well most interviewers think they can tell a lot about the interviewee from how they respond to this. Apparently they first response you give to this question is how you see yourself and your defining characteristic. For example if you respond with "I get on with everyone", then you will be seen as sociable and extraverted. If you answer with "I am career minded and focussed" then the interviewer will see you as ambitious. The answers will be viewed as positive or negative depending on the job type. If you have trouble answering this question, then it can be seen that you aren't very interested in the job and aren't prepared for business situations.

Where do you see yourself in five years? This is another classic that comes up in a lot of interview situations. The interviewer will be most likely checking that the job you are applying for fits in with the career path you see yourself on. They want to know if you are going to work hard and stick around. It is not a good idea to tell the interviewer that you want to work with animals if you are applying for an accounting job. This sends a message that you will not be around for long and will probably leave to try and pursue your long term interests. There are two ways of looking at this, one is maybe keep this radical career plan to yourself and give them an answer they want to hear or the sensible option would be to consider if this job is even right for you and not something that is tied into what you aim to do in the future.

How do you balance your work and life? With this question, the interviewer wants to establish that you will be focussed at work and will be organised in your out of work time. They want to know whether you have set plans for taking children to school or if you have social pursuits that will be interfering with work. The best way to answer these questions are to be honest, but demonstrate how you are organised and can handle these situations.

What did you do during your gap in employment? Most people will have some gaps in their CVs where they will have been between work . The interviewer will be looking for an answer that shows you haven't wasted this time and have done something constructive. Not everyone will have been to Africa, volunteering to build schools so you will need to provide an answer that makes you appear to have gained something. Learning new skills, (i.e programming languages), travelling and taking in culture, reflected over your desired career path are all good examples of using your time constructively.

These are only some of the common questions that will crop up during interviews. Look for further articles where we will look at more expected questions and how to prepare for them.

by Artavia.seo

How to Get a Teaching Job in Dubai

Dubai, the postcard city of the Gulf, is an attractive destination to work for foreign population. There are job opportunities in fields such as construction, banking, IT, tourism, oil & gas and teaching. Expatriates throng the emirate to land a job in one of the industries as per their skills as it is quite lucrative to work here. The expatriate population in Dubai is growing by the day and most of them live here with their families, including children. For this reason, there is a large number of international schools in Dubai. The schools are meant to meet the demand from the international students, thus, most of them have American or British syllabus. There is a huge demand for professionally qualified teachers in these schools. The teachers who have experience in the British or American style of teaching get an edge over other teachers in getting a job in Dubai schools. Also, all foreign teachers are mostly recruited on a contract of two to three years. Therefore, the demand for teachers is always on the rise, considering the number of new schools opening in Dubai. More and more expatriate teachers look forward to teaching in Dubai as it helps them save intensively during their stay. However, before taking up a teaching job in Dubai, it is important to know more about the work environment, the salary structure and the incentives that come with a job in Dubai. Also, it is good to get a fair idea of the kind of qualifications that you require to get a teaching job in Dubai.

The schools in Dubai offer ample opportunities for expatriate teachers. The demand is high for two reasons. Firstly, there are new schools opening in Dubai each year. Secondly, the existing schools offer services during the summer break too, which requires qualified teachers. It is not a must to have British or American qualifications to get a teaching job in Dubai. This helps but it does not mean that teachers from other nations cannot apply for teaching jobs in Dubai. You need to have flawless skill sin spoken and written English and should be a certified qualified teacher with the required work experience.

You would need to get the qualifications attested by a public notary in your country. Thereafter, you would be required to get the notary attested by your embassy. The second step is sometimes tricky. You must get in touch with the embassy of your country to find out the details and formalities related with the same. Chances are that the embassy would help you with all such processes and you would get assistance in the process of applying to Dubai schools for teaching jobs.

Once this is done, you can start applying to various Dubai schools for the position that suits your qualifications well. You should regularly check for vacancies on the various school websites. Vacancies are also posted on job sites and newspapers. You must apply with a properly written cover letter and resume. The resume should highlight your relevant experience and qualifications in the field of teaching. The school should get an impression that you are the right fit for the job. Do mention your willingness to relocate. Also, mention about any awards or recognition that you might have received in the field of education so far. This will give you an edge in the eyes of the employer.

If your resume gets shortlisted, you will be called for an interview by the school. The travel and stay expenses would most likely be borne by the school only. Do find out more about the school before attending the interview. You can check the forums to find out what teachers and parents are writing about that school. That will give you some idea. It is good to make a call or send an email after sending your resume to find out the status. It will help you immensely if you network in Dubai with the people in the same profession. Once you land the job, you will be entitled to a lot of incentives besides the salary in your job. You would not have to pay any taxes, your accommodation will be paid for and if you are a female teacher, you will get a lot of other benefits too.

Mostly, school staff hiring is done during the summer break. So, you should ideally send your resume by January to start the process. This does not mean that you cannot apply throughout the year. But summer is generally the best season for teaching jobs in Dubai. Living in Dubai should be fun. The city is fast developing and offers luxurious stay to all those who come under its fold. So, you can enjoy a luxurious lifestyle while earning and saving a lot of money in Dubai.

Some useful links: www.naukrigulf.com www.naukrigulf.com/ni/nijobsearch/farea-teaching-education-languages/

by geetika jain

Working in Dubai

The number of people that go to Dubai to work there is increasing by the day. The main attraction that pulls expatriates into Dubai for jobs is the salary that is offered and the enviable lifestyle that Dubai has to offer. Dubai is seeing an explosion in development. It is growing fast and the foreign population is playing a crucial role in helping Dubai attain the status that it now enjoys. With this rapid development, the employment opportunities in Dubai have also increased manifold. There are job opportunities available in every sector. Oil & gas jobs, construction jobs, IT jobs, banking jobs, teaching jobs and more such specialized jobs are up for grabs in Dubai.

For all those planning to apply for a job in Dubai or take up a job in the emirate, it is advisable to do a beforehand study of the place and of the sector that wish to apply for. While the common perception is that all jobs in Dubai are lucrative and pay well, that is not particularly true. The jobs that require special skill sets and expertise pay the most. In other menial jobs, the salaries are just the same as anywhere else. However, the best part about earning in Dubai is that one gets to save up a lot.

Also, there is a highly enjoyable social life to enjoy in Dubai. These reasons combine together to make Dubai a preferred destination for expatriates.

This also accounts for the fact that major recruitment companies have set shop in Dubai. These agencies help in sourcing talent from various parts of the world to fit in the right positions in Dubai. However, the best way to land a job in Dubai is to post your resume at various job sites and to those sites that specialize in hiring in the Gulf. At these websites, there is enough information available about the living and working conditions in Dubai.

For foreign workers, it is important to know that work hours in any job in Dubai are generally long. The work week is generally from Saturday to Wednesday or Sunday to Thursday. Friday is a holiday in Dubai. Generally, workers are expected to work for 10-12 hours per day, even six days a week. So, one must consider this before making a career move. It would be a good idea to write to your employer or to the HR department of the organization with which you wish to work, and find out all these details well in advance.

Basis this information, you can take a well-informed decision whether to take your family along or not while moving to do a job in Dubai. Do proper research and try to network with the people who are working in the same industry. This would give you an insight into what it is like to be working in the kind of industry and profile that you wish to take up in Dubai.

Generally, employers offer a good remuneration package to potential and worthy candidates. The package may include a housing allowance, health care benefits and allowance towards children's education, money for annual trip home and other such benefits. While you are considering a job offer, keep in mind that housing and schooling in Dubai are expensive. So, any job offer that pays for both would let you save a lot. Then, all you need to do is to weigh it in terms of number of hours that will need to be worked each week to make a decision whether the offer is acceptable or not.

The work culture in Dubai is to work hard and socialize harder. If you are career focused and are willing to spend extra hours at work, working in Dubai might turn out to be a very fruitful experience. However, if your family is accompanying you, then you have to give it a clear thought. You might not get as much time as you would want to spend with your family otherwise. You just have to be comfortable with this idea in your mind to get real joy out of living and working in Dubai. To get a real feel of what it is like to live in Dubai, you can become a part of forums to get feedback from people who are living and working in Dubai. Here you will find useful advice to give you a base to form your expectations.

Before moving to Dubai, get in touch with the embassy of your country. They will be able to provide you useful information about the industry that you wish to work in and also about other apprehensions that you might have about living and working in Dubai. If you accept Dubai with an open mind, it will welcome you with open arms. There is a lot of expatriate population, so you wouldn't be alone. People would mostly be friendly and willing to give a helping hand.

Some useful links: www.naukrigulf.com www.naukrigulf.com/ni/nijobsearch/loc-jobs-dubai/

by geetika jain

How to Manage Salary Negotiations

Whether you're looking for a new job or trying to make financial gains at the one you're at, you may find that at some point you'll need to make a salary negotiation. But how can you do it if you never have before?

It's not as difficult as you may think. In fact, in many ways it can be similar to any other business transaction. So if you've been thinking that it's time to get a raise, or ask for a specific salary with a new job, take a look at some ways to get it done.

Approaching the Employer

Probably one of the most challenging prospects of negotiating your salary is deciding how to approach an employer. It can feel very intimidating to tell a company how much you want them to pay you. But this task is easier if you keep in mind that you're simply expressing your desire to be paid based on your skills and ability to perform.

So when is the right time to make the approach? If you're in the process of accepting a new position, then the right time is when you reach that point in the conversation. However, if you're looking to ask for a raise with your current employer, you'll want to make sure that you've explored the reasons that you feel it's time to increase your pay (years employed, responsibilities fulfilled, etc.). When you're ready to approach your boss you can simply ask for a meeting to discuss your salary. Then openly and honestly discuss the reason you feel it's time to increase your pay.

How Much to Ask For

The amount you should ask for will vary widely based on your field and the position you're in/seeking. This means it will be important for you to conduct some research to determine how much individuals with your level of education/experience in the position you're in/seeking are typically paid.

Also, the city you live in can make a difference. For instance, someone living in New York City might expect to make much more working as a Human Resources Recruiter than someone living in Nashville, Tennessee. There are a number of books and websites that can help you get an idea of what you might want to ask for within the parameters of your specific circumstances. So be sure to conduct your research to make sure you're not asking for too much or too little.

What Else You Need to Know

If you find that the salary you hoped for is not agreed upon, you don't have to give up hope. There are other factors like healthcare benefits, additional vacation days and bonuses that you may be able to adjust to create a financial equivalent. But if you are surprised with an offer that equals or surpasses what you planned to ask for, don't be afraid to still negotiate. You may find that you may be able to sweeten the pot even more.

Engaging in salary negotiations can seem like a fierce battle, but they typically are not. If you go in with an idea of what you want to make and the reasons why, you will most likely come out making more than you thought you would.

by Heather Eagar

Job Seeking Online with Digital Resumes

With the Internet becoming more and more a big part of our daily lives, we can't avoid the inevitable - like it or not, job hunting online is here to stay. Technology has changed the way we do things now. Can you remember how job hunting was like before the Internet arrived? Everything had to be done manually. You had to scour newspapers for job listings. Then you had to print out hard copies of your resumes, and send them out. If someone calls you, that's good news. But most of the time, there will be no reply.

Now, job seeking is very different. You can do everything online. New websites and applications are being invented and released to help manage the job hunting process. Both employers and employees must learn how to make full use of technology to help them achieve their goals.

Understanding both sides of the process.

The employer.

Even if you are a seeker, it will certainly help if you can understand more about what is happening on the side of the employer. Here is what usually happens when an employer wants to find new employees online.

The employer goes to a number of job search websites, and pays a small fee to post a job listing. The post contains job description, and all other relevant information about the job position. Contact information and job application details will also be listed. The employer will then manage the job applications from the respective job sites.

The employee.

Now think about this. As an employee, how do you come to know about the job opportunities available? You make a keyword search based on the position right? When you make a keyword search at a job site, all the jobs with the relevant keywords will be presented to you. You may then proceed to read the job descriptions, and decide whether you want to apply for the job or not.

There are several ways you can submit your job application. Some employers accept only resumes in Word Doc. Some may require you to email the resume to a specific email address, while others may just need you to post your digital resume (assuming that you have already saved your resume on the website). The employer will then shortlist the job candidates, and contact them to arrange for face to face or telephone interviews.

This is the most common process. Sometimes, the process can be reversed. That means, instead of the employee seeking out the right job opportunities, employers now attempt to seek out the right job candidates. How do they do so? They can conduct resume searches. Again, the searches are based on keywords.

By now, you must have realized the importance of keywords in a resume. Use all the relevant keywords you can think of in your resume before uploading it to a job site. That will greatly increase your chances of being exposed to the right employers.

Using A Job Cover Letter Sample When Looking For A Job

Due to the number of job seekers today, your resume really has to be stand out.Handing an excellent cover letter along with your resume to your potential employer could greatly increase your chances of getting hired.If you don't have any idea how to create such a letter, there is some help available.

A good job cover letter sample can be extremely helpful to you when you start writing your own cover letter.When you apply for a job, you should also find out what cover letter format is best for your job type.The required format will definitely change from one industry to the next.

When perusing a job cover letter sample, of particular importance is the way the company information and your information is presented in the heading.You should also pay attention to the way the body of the cover letter should be written.This is where you have to be at your most persuasive to convince your potential employer to hire you.

When your have finished writing it, print out your cover letter.If you made any errors while writing your cover letter, this is where you should catch them.If you do indeed manage to locate an error, take the time to correct it.An error in your cover letter could cause your potential employer to dismiss your job application immediately.A cover letter is no longer effective if you cannot keep it free of mistakes.You can be quite certain that job cover letter sample did not have any mistakes in it.

Any name that company gives you must be included in your cover letter.A cover letter that has nothing other than the title of the human resources department on it will likely be a long time in reaching your potential employer.

by Emmitt Streat