The answer is yes, but it’s going to be a lot of challenge, and the success rate is not that too high. Nevertheless, if you are dead serious of working in your previous company, then there are ways to make it somehow possible. Here are six of them:

1. Determine why you are out in the first place.
There is no reason why you should apply for your old job if you have left because you do not like it. Sooner than you have expected, you will begin to feel the burnout and itching to search for another work again. The chances of getting it back are also nil if you have suddenly dropped out of it without proper explanation, or you have been terminated.

Give it a very serious thought. Sometimes you make irrational decisions when you are in tight situations. Decide when your mind is clear and free from stress.

2. Know if the position is still open.
If you do not know for sure, contact your previous colleagues.

3. Back your resume with much stronger references.
Most definitely, your old boss is going to be apprehensive to hire you back, so you need a more solid arsenal to reduce his or her doubt on you. One of the best ways is to not only update your working experience and skills list but also provide better references. Find out who among your previous employers, teachers, or other professionals can vouch for your sincerity, honesty, and expertise.

4. Be ready to eat humble pie.
It is definitely humbling and even embarrassing to ask for your old job. In fact, some bosses relish on ex-employees who beg to them. So unless you are prepared to drop all airs, admit whatever wrong decisions you have made, and prove yourself 100 percent more this time to them, let go of the re-application idea.

5. Offer something new and different on the table.
Make yourself a lot more valuable than before. This way, there will be fewer excuses for them not to hire you back. Perhaps while you are processing your application, you can already start gaining new skills through trainings and classes. See to it that you can let your bosses know about your current and future plans, which will help you contribute more to the organization.

6. Never ever jeopardize yourself on your present job.
A lot of employees make the biggest mistake by forcing their present employers to terminate them. They usually perform poorly. That will surely not sit well with your old company, as you are seen as a potential headache and liability.

Always remember it is not the company’s fault why you feel miserable, or you feel there’s a need to go back to your old job. Give it some respect and don’t ruin your future by being negative.

…or find a better new one in our CAREER section !

Those days are over. In the days of Monster.com, and amidst a tight job market, employers are frequently swamped with hundreds of resumes competing for each opening – even at wages 30 percent less than what a comparable job paid 5 years ago.

Those aren’t very good odds.
The days of the blind resume blast are over. Everywhere you go, you find frustrated job hunters with the same complaint: “I’ve sent over 200 resumes and I haven’t even gotten a call for an interview.”

Freshwater fishermen
Take a lesson from flyfishers: The fish don’t bite the same lures all the time. When the fish stop biting a certain lure, fly fishermen don’t keep fishing with that lure. They change lures! They talk to each other and go with what works! If you’re still sending resumes “over the transom” to someone who’s never even heard your name before, where you’re competing with hundreds of others, chances are good that one of the other people has already met the owner or director of H.R. You need to figure out what “lure” to place in the water so you can be that guy.

Cold Mailing vs. Warm Mailing
Sun Tzu wrote that the wise warrior made sure he had already won the battle, before committing troops. Likewise, you need to have most of the battle won, before you send your resume. That means you should have already met the boss, and already know what he or she is looking for.

How to Meet the Boss
One thing’s for certain: You aren’t going to meet the boss sitting at your laptop tweaking your resume. Go where the bosses are! Here are some ideas:
• Volunteer. Community organizations like the Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Boy Scouts and other community service organizations are full of business people seeking to give back to their communities – and build up their own list of contacts in the process. Just be sure to go to serve the community, before you go job hunting. If you go there with a self-serving purpose, they can tell. Trust me.
• Industry Groups. Just because you’re out of work is no reason to let your involvement in industry groups slide. If anything, you need to increase your involvement. If you have an industry or professional association, join it. Make sacrifices to attend meetings. Even better: Volunteer to organize events! What does this do? It gives you an excuse to get on the phone with business owners throughout your community, inviting them to the latest conference or luncheon.
• Bars. Don’t knock it – men and women have been picking each other up for years. Is there a bar located near where you want to work? Go there for happy hour. Order iced tea. It’s cheap. And strike up conversations with nearby workers as they get off work. Gain market intelligence. There’s nothing wrong with asking “who would I talk to if I want to work in your department?” Then when you make the phone call, you have a name to drop, and some intelligent questions to ask.
• Walk in. Most people are afraid to do this – but salespeople willing to walk in 50 to 100 businesses a day frequently make excellent money. Why? It works. Walk in with a stack of resumes and ask for the owner. You just got out of another appointment, but you were nearby, work in the field, and wanted to introduce yourself.
• Calling. In most cases, forget about calling between 9 and 5, unless you have an invitation to call, or you already know the person. You’ll get Miss Donut Box, the 9 to 5 flunkie who takes pride in being a gatekeeper. She can’t hire you, but she can shoot you down in a hurry. When calling the boss, call before she gets there, or call after she leaves. The boss often gets in early and works late. That’s why he’s the boss. (The exception is restaurant owners. Call them between 3 and 5 pm in most cases).
• Agents. Maybe you don’t have much of a rolodex yet. But any good employment agency does. Because they’ve been using these very techniques to build up relationships with potential employers for years. We can’t stress this enough: Leverage your contacts by using a quality employment agency. In most cases, the employer, not you, pays the fee anyway. If you do pay a fee, it’s tax deductible – and can save you weeks, months and sometimes years of unemployment. Even if a placement doesn’t lead to anything permanent, you are still working in the industry, keeping your skills current, and gaining new experiences, and meeting people you otherwise would never have known.

Sure, job hunting isn’t fly-fishing. But the two still have a lot in common. You need to go out dressed right, equipped with the tools you need, provisions to last you quite a while before you land a catch, the flexibility to alter your methods in pursuit of a goal, and the intestinal fortitude and courage to stay out in the river, among the fish, never letting discouragement get the best of you, and never letting up until you reach your goal.

Check out our CAREER section to find the right job for you!

• Employers like the discipline and reliability they find with military veteran hires.

• Military veterans often have more leadership and management experience at much younger ages than do non-veteran counterparts. This difference shows, and is often vividly clear to managers who have hired veterans in the past.

• Chances are you are in pretty good physical condition now, and height-weight proportionate. Studies clearly show that fit people out-earn overweight people.

• You have access to the New Post 9/11 GI Bill, which provides almost unlimited options for funding your education. Some not-for-profit military associations, such as the Navy League, Association of the United States Army, and American Legion provide additional scholarship opportunities for military veterans. Even if you aren’t planning on attending school part time, it is good to be able to show prospective employers that you are taking the initiative to further your skills.

• Security clearances. If you have a secret clearance, put it on your resume. If you have a top secret clearance, highlight it, because TS clearances are extremely expensive for employers to get for positions that require them. Many defense contractors require secret or top secret clearances, and if you already have one, that is a huge leg up over non-veteran competition.

• ETS Moves. The military will usually pay to relocate you to your home of record. This doesn’t need to be your home town. In fact, if your home of record or last duty station has limited civilian opportunities for you, you can take advantage of the military-paid relocation to move you and your family to a new job, or to where more opportunities are likely to be. Companies aren’t shelling out to relocate promising hires like they used to. They don’t have to, because there is plenty of talent looking for work right there where they are. If you don’t need the employer to pay to relocate you, that’s one less hurdle.
Now, transitioning from the military isn’t all honey and roses. Many veterans have some things working against them, as well.

• Untransferrable job skills. Strange as it may seem, few employers need to keep a tank gunner around on staff. If you held a combat arms MOS, your technical skills won’t transfer to the civilian sector. But your leadership skills sure will. Many times, the jobs with the least transferrable technical skills are the very ones where the leadership experience is most intense. Craft your resume to emphasize leadership. If you were an NCO or officer, and had people working for you, take credit for the activities of your unit.

• Jargon. People who spend years in the military don’t talk like civilians do. You may have picked up terminology that a civilian employer doesn’t understand. This can be confusing and off-putting to the civilian hiring manager. Drop the military jargon, and pick up the lingo of your new profession.

• Military resumes. Many veterans leave the military and go job hunting with resumes that are nearly incomprehensible to nonveteran hiring managers. Navy vets are particularly prone to this. It may behoove you to have an employment agency or counselor look at your resume and help you craft it for the civilian market – a process called “civilianizing your resume.”
What to do now?

• Change your voicemail. The day you begin your job search, take off all the military references, inside jokes, and other distractions off your voicemail. Don’t bark like a drill sergeant on your voicemail. Your troops may get a charge out of it when they call you, but employers won’t. A calm, measured and friendly voice with your name and possibly rank is just right.

• Get started. For many positions, the hiring cycle is months long. You don’t want months of inactivity.

• Stay disciplined. Now that you don’t have to get up early every day, it’s easy to slip on the job search. Keep the same dedication and professional focus on your job search that you had during your military career.

• Keep doing PT.

• Leverage your contacts. You may not have much of a civilian rolodex coming out of the military. Many veterans ETS or retire and look at their phone list and everyone in it is in the military, and none of them is in a position to hire. A good employment agency that understands military veterans and what they bring to the table is crucial.

• Consider continuing your service in the Reserves or National Guard. This can bring a few hundred extra per month into your bank account, and also help you meet people who also work full time in the civilian sector who can help you find employment. Some MOSs are eligible for a bonus, as well. You can also maintain your eligibility for TRICARE until you find a permanent full-time job.

Job searches take time, and there are never any guarantees. Cut your expenses, and stay disciplined and methodical in your search for your next opportunity. The hiring cycle is longer than it’s been in generations, so don’t get discouraged or give up if you aren’t picked up right away. Keep putting your best foot forward. And thank you for serving this great nation.

Wide spectrum of jobs is available at our CAREER section!

Furthermore, smart employers appreciate a job candidate with a long-term view and one who asks intelligent questions. Deftly and tactfully interviewing the interviewer can help separate you from the pack of applicants, and perhaps give you the leg up you need to get the offer. The bottom line:

1. Do your homework. Yes, everyone says do your homework. But few sites actually get into doing a proper job of due diligence. Do a bit of research on the principals of the company. Sometimes you will find one or more of the principals of a company, or even your direct supervisor, has a criminal record, such as a conviction or accusation of fraud or embezzlement. You should know this going in.

2. Delve into the financials. If the company is publicly traded, it may help to understand whether and how the company makes money. If the company is bleeding red ink, ask your prospective employer about his assessment of a path to profitability. In the long run, only a profitable company is going to be able to pay you very well. Money losing companies tend to drag employees down with them.

3. Look prepared. Have some specific questions you want to ask that are written down. That makes it look like you are thorough and you took the time to learn about the company. Your questions should be more than Wikipedia deep. It’s ok to put a little spin on the ball, but don’t put the manager on the spot.

4. Don’t just talk a job. Talk a career path. Ask about typical avenues for advancement in the company. Or ask where the supervisor sees the department going at the end of the quarter, year, or five years. If you can steer the conversation into how you can help them get there, you win.

5. Evaluation. Ask about how your performance will be evaluated, and by whom. This isn’t an idle chit-chat question – the intent is to deliberately guide the interview into concrete topics that help the interviewer imagine you already filling the position! Sometimes, talk about evaluation criteria can lead directly to discussion of compensation. This is always tricky, but if you can get to the compensation point without committing to a figure before the company does, you are in good shape. Use caution, though: If you commit to a figure too soon, the company could use that information against you. Don’t bring up salary before they do, and don’t get involved in a discussion of compensation before you have been able to build a perception of value in what you have to offer. The bottom line: Make them want you. THEN talk comp.
Remember, based on the information you gather, you may not even want the job. If the company is going down the tubes, of if the management has a less than stellar track record, and you can’t clear the air at the first interview, you may want to pass on the opportunity. This is valuable information right there.

If, after having performed the due diligence, you do want the job, then your object is to move the conversation towards the offer. If your conversation is very specific about career opportunities, the company’s plans for the department in the coming months, your job performance criteria and your supervisor, you are quickly getting details out of the way, so that the only thing left is to accept or decline an offer. The trick is to get there quickly, but not so quickly that you haven’t had a chance to build a perception of value in yourself.

In the end, job interviewing is exactly like sales: Identify what they want, confirm that you can deliver what they want, and make it easy for them to visualize you in that role. Understand that they must do the same thing, selling themselves and their opportunity to you.

Good luck.

Want a Job offer? Find an opportunity in our CAREER section.
Our professional recruiters will help you get an Interview!
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Most organizations that offer the highest paying jobs in the market get attracted to those who are presently working than those unemployed. Their skills sets and trainings are continuous— making them a potent candidate for an available post in an organization. This is in comparison with people who already stopped working and have not engaged into their field for quite a long time now.

While you may want to hunt for opportunities and career growth, you do not want to create a gap between you and your present employer. Should hints be noticed within your current work arena, your supervisor might concomitantly look for a possible replacement even when you are still holding the position. This might also trigger termination or issues that might force you to prematurely leave your existing career.

Here are some tips on how you are going to look for the highest paying jobs within your field while still employed:

1. Do not use office resources for jobs search. Given that employers habitually monitor phone calls and email exchanges, avoid using these company resources in job hunting. Using the company printer to reproduce copies of your curriculum vitae might generate solid pieces of evidence for immediate termination.

2. Pass up discussing your plans or ongoing job search with your peers inside the office. While you may feel comfortable with the people around you, it is not a guarantee that these private and very sensitive matters be kept in secrecy. Worse, if there someone eyeing to grab your position, these things might be used to oust you.

3. Try not to schedule interviews that will be conflicting with your work hours. Going elsewhere during the day would perhaps make your boss believe that there is something going on. Arrange interview appointments after office hours or during lunch breaks. If the prospective employer is unable to conduct evaluation and assessments during your free time, take a personal leave or off from work.

4. Be cautious on how you dress up for the day. If you usually report to work on laid-back attire, do not come into work dressed up as if you are going for a job interview later; this might build up suspicions. Avoid being caught by simple nuance.

5. Do not use present employer as a reference. To keep your job hunt confidential at least while you are still employed, do not use your present supervisors as references. They might be shocked in a negative manner and drop some negative comments about you as a result of the ill-feeling.

Check out our Hot Jobs section to find the right job for you!

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All you need to do is learn how to thrive well during the job fair. Most of all, know how you can increase your chances of getting hired through these tips:

1. Know more about the job fair.
Before going into any job fair, identify the companies that will be participating. Sort out and identify the ones you’ll be applying with. It will save you a lot of time and effort if you only approach your preferred employers and jobs. Applying to all companies is not a good idea.

Job fairs are advertised at least a month before the actual event. That should give you plenty of time to research.

2. Wake up early.
Job fairs can last for days, but that does not mean you should not try to be early. As they say, the early bird catches the worm. Being at the venue early will give you a good head-start against hundreds of competitors.

3. Wear decent attire.
Sure, a coat and tie can be very irritating especially if the weather is humid, but then again, jeans and shirt do not spell professionalism. You will be taken more seriously by your future employers if you also give a more serious effort to your dress.

4. Bring several resumes.
Print out a number of resumes and even cover letters. Your potential employers don’t know anything about you. They are going to use these documents during the interview process. If you’re not hired on the spot, they can keep your resume on active file.

5. Practice what you are going to say.
Create a pitch when you are introducing yourself. This will set you apart from the other candidates. Nevertheless, be mindful of your speech. Keep it short, simple, and direct to the point. Don’t waste the interviewer’s time. Usually, in a job fair, HR personnel follow a very strict time limit on each applicant.

6. Listen very carefully and answer briefly.
The time you spend with every employer is very limited. Be attentive so you can properly answer all the questions. Moreover, keep your answers short but honest and straightforward.

7. Be at the job fair alone.
It would be nice to job hunt with friends and colleagues. You can have someone to talk to during idle times. However, never approach an employer’s table together with them. This practice is considered very informal, and there’s very little chance you will be noticed. As an advice, don’t bring your friends or someone you know at the job fair.

8. Practice professionalism.
Never speak against your present or previous employers. Be very sincere with your answers. Learn how to uplift your strengths and downplay your weaknesses. Keep your pride in total control.

Hourly updated employment opportunities in our “Hot Jobs” section?

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Fortunately, opportunities are not scarce for those who want to be back in the workforce. To give you some ideas on what jobs you can take, here is a good list:

1. Go back to your old job.
Are you fond of your old job? Are you hoping you could go back doing what you really love? Some companies do take seniors back into their fold, especially if they are truly exceptional. They can reduce your working hours or assign you to less strenuous task.

2. Be a salesperson.
You can set up a business and hire yourself as a salesperson. This way, you can reduce labor costs and you’ll have a good time meeting new people. You can also practice your selling and technical skills. Besides this, putting up a business could channel your unused hours to something productive. You will find yourself busy most of the time.

3. Consider athletics.
Who does not love sports? If you are physically fit and you have a thorough knowledge about a particular sport, you can always consider a career in athletics. You can be fitness instructor, trainer, or even a coach.

4. Have a career in consulting.
Your several years of working experience should definitely give you a lot of credit to become a consultant. Consultancy is a lucrative job. First, it does not require you to be in the office for several hours. Second, companies offer a great pay to those who can help them in their business. You also have the freedom to handle as many consultancy jobs as you can to boost your income.

5. Enter the world of entertainment.
Do you have what it takes to entertain the public? Do you want to share your talents? Now that you are retired, you definitely have a lot of time in your hands to tackle the world of entertainment. As long as you have the skills, there are several opportunities waiting for you. You can be a singer in a cruise ship or a teacher in a ballet school. You can also setup your own talent agency.

6. Take some seasonal jobs.
It’s definitely possible to just take a part-time work. One of these is a seasonal job. This type of work usually lasts from two to three months, depending on the demand. The good news is, pay for these kinds of jobs is high. It’s usually computed by the hour or your output.

7. Spend more time outdoors.
If you don’t want or are easily bored by home-based jobs, you can opt for working opportunities that require you to be outdoors. You can be a tour or bird watching guide, a camp director, or a bushwalking facilitator. You can also apply as a park or a forest ranger.

Check out our Hot Job Section to find the right job for you!

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For the potential employee, though, it’s really not enough to send an e-mail. As a job-seeker, you have to do more than that to ensure it gets read and replied. To help you, follow these important and useful steps:

1. Customize every e-mail.
Ensure that the cover letter and resume reflect the qualifications for the open position. If the manager’s name is given, use it for the salutation instead of the more generic “Dear Sir/Madam.” Clearly indicate the position for which you are applying.

2. State that you are attaching some files.
A lot of managers are wary about opening attachments, especially if the e-mail sounds so ambiguous. If you are attaching your resume and other requirements as files, state it in your e-mail. It’s a confirmation that the attachments truly came from you.

3. Follow instructions.
Some companies would include additional (and sometimes bizarre) instructions to those who are sending their resumes in the e-mail. This is actually a test to see how good you are in following simple instructions. Also, with over a hundred e-mails to read, attaching the job code into the subject line, for example, can help them distinguish and filter the resumes from others.

4. Write the position you are applying for in the subject line.
Unless instructed otherwise, it is safe to use the position you are applying for as your subject line. It is clear, direct, and it will save both you and the HR manager a lot of time. For instance, if you’re applying to be an “SEO content writer”, put it as your email’s subject.

5. Know their business hours.
Some organizations want you to send your resume only at their corresponding business hours. As a good practice, you should also follow this even if it is not mentioned in the ad. This increases the chances of having your e-mail read and replied. Sending your e-mail at night, on off hours, and / or during the holiday might bury your e-mail at the bottom of other applications.

6. Check your resume.
Your resume is a reflection of you. Make sure there are no errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. You can be creative with regards to your resume (such as presenting your credentials in a PowerPoint or Flash), but it is still the content that matters. Content is the King as they say.
Remove those pieces of information that are irrelevant to the position you are applying for. Do not forget to include enough contact details, such as your home / mobile phone number and email address.

7. Make a follow-up.
There is nothing wrong making a follow-up especially if you definitely like and want the job. You can do this at least three days after you’ve sent your e-mail. If you don’t want to wait for an e-mail response, you can make a call.

Hourly updated employment opportunities in our “Hot Jobs” section?
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1. There are many jobs waiting for you.
There are some industries that offer seasonal jobs. These include several retail shops that need additional people to handle the influx of buyers. You can also apply to travel agencies, airlines, hotels and restaurants, and even vineyards and farms. An increase in income during this time is certainly not bad at all.

2. Companies would start pooling human resources.
You may not really get a job immediately during the holiday season, but expect a lot of companies to keep you on active file. Many of them consider hiring new applicants during the first three months of the new year. This is because, aside from company expansion, many employees resign before the year ends.

3. You get additional pay.
Companies do pay more during the holidays. Special rates are given to salaries and wages since the demand and pressure are high during this special time of the year. There will also be additional benefits, including bonuses and commissions.

But How Do You Exactly Do It?
However, looking for a job during the holiday season can be a tough challenge. First, you are up against hundreds of people who are also looking for additional income. Second, you may not really find a good time to process your application. To help you manage the pressure properly, remember these tips:

1. Know beforehand.
In anticipation for the high demand, a lot of these companies would offer seasonal jobs at least three months before Christmas. Keep tabs of those who are known to hire seasonal workers. You can also go to websites that post holiday-specific positions. You may also ask for referrals or recommendations from colleagues and friends.

Send your resume early, so you will have higher chances of being hired even before the holidays.

2. Prepare early for the holidays.
If you are thinking of getting a job around December, make sure that you prepare your Christmas shopping list and start buying presents around October. Besides taking advantage of more affordable goods, you can also have more time to entertain interviews later.

3. Hand in your resume personally.
You have bigger chances of having your resumes read and replied when you hand them in personally rather than e-mailing them. The problem with online submission is that there’s a huge chance your resume will be buried beneath other applicants’. Some resumes could also be redirected to the HR manager’s junk or spam folder.

4. Follow up.
If you do not hear anything from them in the next three days, give them a call or drop by their office, especially if you

Looking for a job? Check out our Hot Jobs section! You won’t leave empty-handed!
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The popularity of social networking websites did not happen without a rough ride and several controversies. Social networking media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have been used to hire workers. These websites are used to search for potential company employees. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles can reveal plenty of information about the person’s working experience and interests.

However, these tools were also used to terminate and suspend employees. Seriously, do managers have the right to do this?

The answer is actually both a yes and a no.

It Is a Yes When…
Employees really don’t have the right to complain and belt out the First Amendment. In fact, such argument is completely futile. The amendment refers to the abuse or violence of the government against its people.

Moreover, they cannot complain if they themselves have put up their profiles publicly. Thus, anyone, including managers, can take a peep in their profiles without a problem. Befriending a manager in social networking website may also mean you are giving him or her permission to access your personal information.

Employers, on the other hand, can look into social networking profiles, albeit discreetly, if it is a matter of productivity and efficiency. A manager may be wondering why a once-productive employee can hardly meet the deadlines anymore. The profile might just give the manager a clue.

Social networking profiles may also be utilized as part of an investigation, such as when an employee is facing suspension for damaging a company’s reputation. The profile can be used as a proof to strengthen the case.

It Is a No When…
Nevertheless, that does not mean employers have all the right to snoop into their employees’ profile. They can be held legally liable if they coerce, force, or collude with an employee to access private profiles. For example, if they guarantee an IT administrator a promotion should he or she obtains a list of passwords of the employees’ log-in information. It is also not right to compel employees to keep their profiles public.

Moreover, judging an employee’s performance or productivity based on his or her social networking profile (and wall posts) alone is not considered ethical. One has to remember that the Internet age also promotes the growth of posers, who create fake accounts and post fake messages. Besides, when an employee spends a good time in Facebook, for instance, it does not mean he or she is a bad worker. Social networking profiles should never be used to discriminate employees especially if it’s his or her way to wipe-out work-related burnouts.

For the managers, looking into social networking websites boils down to one question: What is the main use of looking into other people’s profiles? If the answer sounds cunning or devious, then you already know it is not a good idea to do so.

Hourly updated employment opportunities in our “Hot Jobs” section?

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