Guest Author - Valarie Anthony

The following is a checklist to help job seekers in their employment search. It is designed to help individuals determine what their leevl of readiness to work is.

1. Pre-Employment Preparation and Readiness: What Do You Need To Have In
Place Before Starting Your Job Search?

Before starting your employment search, there are certain things to
consider first. First on your list should be transportation. Whether
you live in a small rural town with limited transportation, or the big
city where mass transit is available several times within the hour, you
should consider how you plan to get to your job interviews. If you
are stressed out in getting to two or three job interviews, it would
only be a clear indication of what lies ahead in the event that you do
receive a job offer.


2. Self-Awareness

Do you know what you want to do? What are your career-related plans and
goals? If you start out with a specific type of job in mind, and you
stick to those plans and goals, then the chances of success for you
would be greater than if you just "go with the flow." If you know
yourself well, and you are able to identify whether working with people,
data or things are your work preference, then you will be more
successful.

You should be able to list at least five skills and abilities that you
can apply to work. You should be able to articulate why you chose the
work that you've chosen. You should also be able to define what your
work place preferences are, and why you've chosen this type of setting.
Are you a traveling buff? Perhaps you are tye type of person who
enjoys getting into your car and driving, or maybe you're the type of
executive that enjoys corporate traveling via commercial jet


In terms of your personal employment experiences, ask yourself how you
might best describe your employment, education, and employment-related
activities.


3. Job Readiness: Are You Familiar With Resume Writing and Interviewing?

Do you have a resume that is appropriate and acceptable to Corporate
America? Would you rate your resume mediocre, a work of art, or your
one great masterpiece? While critiquing your resume and thinking of
how you would rate its beauty, you should also consider whether you
have three personal references in mind. You will need to have those
references to keep in mind, just in case you receive a job offer, or a
prospective employer is serious enough about you as a job applicant to
want to know more about you as an employee.

Are you able to fill out a job application on your own? Do you have
enough information to complete a basic outline for a cover letter? Are
you able to describe your greatest work-related strengths and
weaknesses? How about questions you might want to consider asking a
prospective employer? You might want to jot down at least five
questions you think an employer might want to ask you on an interview.
Then write down how you would respond to those questions. You should
also keep in mind several questions you might like to ask him/her.

How much do you know about a particular company? Before your scheduled
interview, you should research the company in order to get some
information about that organization and the products and/or services
that they provide, in order to prepare for your interview. You should
also ask yourself honestly what your feelings are in relation to
bosses, supervisors, and how well you take direction. You can also
take invetory of how well you get along with co-workers, as well as
with vendors and customers.