Recruiters use language like this to sell their jobs as dynamic, cutting edge and interesting. They’re competing with other employers to make their jobs sound the best, so they get the best applicants.

At first glance it can seem difficult to figure out what these buzz words mean. However, if you cut through the jargon you’ll probably find that what they’re asking for is straightforward.

Here we take a look at some of the more common words and phrases in job ads and work out what employers are really asking for:

Dynamic
They’re looking for someone who’s confident when taking on new tasks and projects, and can solve problems and find creative solutions to improve things. They want you to be able to launch yourself into new tasks with energy and enthusiasm.

Proven track record
Employers want to see evidence of your experience. If you’ve taken a project from A to B, make sure you have the stats and documents to prove it. If you work in a creative field, you should have examples of your work in a portfolio.

Self-starter
A self-starter can see what needs to be done, and can take action without guidance and orders. The employer may want you to take charge of a project at short notice and trust you to get on with it.

Proactive
Similar to self-starter (above), a proactive person takes positive action to bring about change without too many instructions.

Team player
A good team player can fit into the company culture and work effectively with different types of people. Employers will be impressed if you can give an example of a time you worked on task outside of your normal job role, to help a team achieve a goal.

Flexible
This means they’ll probably want you to work evenings and weekends during busy times. You might also need to travel, stay overnight and work in different offices.

Competitive salary and benefits
This could mean the salary is in line with similar roles for other organisations. It could also mean they haven’t decided the salary yet and it depends on your skills and experience. If you’re looking for a certain minimum salary you might like to find out as early in the process as possible what the range is, to make sure it’s the kind of rate you’re looking for.

Fast-paced/challenging/demanding environment
This means that they’d like someone who can juggle many different tasks, work to deadlines and put in the extra time and effort to meet targets.

Customer-focussed
This means you should be able to put customers’ needs first and understand what makes them tick. You could think of an example where you dealt with a difficult customer or came up with an idea that would appeal to customers.

Ability to communicate at all levels
The employer wants someone who can get on with people at all levels of the company, from the people on the shop floor to the board room. They want to know you have the common touch and the ability to communicate with professionals. You could think of an example where you worked on a project with a wide range of people.

Core competences
These are the main skills you need to do the job. At all stages of the recruitment process try to keep in mind the top five skills the employer is looking for.

Commitment to equal opportunities
The employer wants to know you’ll treat everyone - colleagues and customers - equally. You could prove this by thinking of a situation where you took account of the needs of someone different from yourself.

Stakeholders
Stakeholders have an investment, share or interest in a company or industry.

Fast learner
The company may not be able to spend a lot of time training you on the job, so you’ll have to be able to pick it up as you go along. This might appeal to you if you like learning by doing. You might like to find out what training is offered, so you know which skills you’re going to develop.

Sense of humour required
You should only need a sense of humour if the job itself is a joke, so steer well clear of this! The only job you need a sense of humour for is a comedian….

Retrieved from: http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk

Keep these tips in mind as there are only 25 days left until the Days of Opportunities 2009!

It was a really nice experience and it looks like it will be useful in my future jobs because I have decided to go deeper into the financial stuff.

Jānis Upenieks

year 2 student at SSE Riga

Lets examine some self confidence builders that will force you to take your life to the next level, just make a commitment to practice it.

1) Don‘t care what everyone else thinks. A lot of people live so stressed and frustrated just for thinking what esomebody else says and thinks of me. The fact is that you cant change whatever anyone else thinks, but you can control what you think and that will attract everyone else. You can‘t change anyone if you can‘t change you.

2) Let others to judge you. Yes, what i mean is that not everyone will agree with you in what you say, but people with self confidence let people be what they want to be and focus on the people that agree with them.

3) Have strong values and beliefs. One thing that distinguish those successful people form everyone else is that they have their own strong beliefs that they fight for no matter what, they know what their want and they stand for it.

4) Write your goals. Its really important to have a plan, write down your plan, your goals, be specific, what do you want to accomplish?, in how much time? and how are you going to accomplish it? Those are some important questions to help you start your plan.t

5) Be action oriented. This is one common value in every successful and confidence person, they don‘t ask for permission, they do it now and they fix it later. No matter how great your plan is, if you take action on it nothing happens, being action oriented will increase your self confidence a lot.

Those are some self confidence builders that you can star to use today for your own benefit, take action and dont forget that only you control you thoughts which are the basis of your confidence and personality.

Retrieved from http://www.buildselfconfidence.org/5-self-confidence-builders.html

As the company already invited you for an interview, another curcial question appears- how to dress yourself. About that-further…

 Step1

Know the company you will be interviewing with, and research the industry that it’s a part of to familiarize yourself with the universal dress code. Ask a friend at the company or stake out the front door to find out what current employees wear on the job.

Step2

Go in a suit and tie to any company that’s part of a more formal industry, such as banking or law. Choose a basic black, dark gray or dark navy suit, a matching tie and black leather lace-up shoes. Borrow anything that you may be leery of investing in well in advance to ensure that it’s clean and fits well.

Step3

Opt for dressy casual attire for a company that you know doesn’t expect suits. Pressed khakis or slacks, a clean, ironed button-down shirt, a belt and a leather loafer will serve you well.

Step4

Match the belt to the color of your shoes. Choose black if your outfit consists of dark grays, navys, browns or black. Opt for dark brown if you’ll be wearing tans, muted pastels or medium toned colors.

Step5

Polish or clean your shoes the night before your interview. Scuff marks on your shoes reveal a lack of forethought and attention to detail.

Step6

Keep interview accessories professional. Take a briefcase or nice leather- or vinyl-bound portfolio to carry résumé, references or other pertinent documents. Leave tattered manila folders or college logo folders at home.

Step7

Avoid cologne or aftershave that may overpower the interviewer. Place your watch in your pocket once you make it to the front door so that you’re not tempted to look at it during the interview.

 Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_1372_dress-job-interview.html

1. Get To Know Your Coworkers - This is especially important if you are a manager, as you will need the full support of your team to get anything done. You need to spend time with the people you work with, in order to build up the relationship, so that there can be trust when something needs to get done. How can you trust Jim with that really important assignment if you don’t know anything about him? How can your boss give you any responsibility if he doesn’t trust you?

2. Learn Your Coworkers’ Names - Preferably Before You Go To Work - It’s pretty embarrasing when someone walks by you and says, “Hi your_name”, and you just stand there wondering what their name is, and then slowly mutter “Hi”. You can bet this person won’t be very enthusiastic about helping you the next time you need something from him/her. Besides, what if he/she is facing away from you, and you need to speak with them about something? Are you going to tap on their shoulder to get their attention? Or stand there awkwardly until they notice you? 

3. Smile - You’re opening a new, exciting chapter to your life, full of opportunities and wonders. You’re not going to visit the dentist. Express your happiness at being in the presence of your coworkers and let them know it’s a joy to be able to work with them.

4. Be Enthusiastic - As a follow up to smiling, look like you’re having fun (why shouldn’t you be?). Be eager to help your coworkers if they need anything. Show your desire to improve whatever you’re working on. Let people know that you are there to help them if they need it. Who would want to deal with you if you’re always like “Meh…”. I was once hired for a position in college precisely because I displayed enthusiastism. The lady who hired me told me that all the other candidates she interviewed were all kind of “bleh” and that I wrote a long and well thought out letter. I replied, “So when do I start?” and she replied, “Tomorrow”.

5. Have Your Papers Ready - Are there some forms that need to be signed? Do you have your id # for the new hire orientation you are attending? While it’s probably not the end of the world to not know your drivers license number when they ask you to fill out the insurance forms, you should show the people you work with that you’re prepared.

6. Dress For Your Job - Make a good first impression, so that people don’t start wondering whether they can rely on you to get something done. Granted, if you’re in a technical type of job, t-shirt & jeans might be just fine. However, if you are the new CEO and you are going to make a presentation to 1000 people, you can bet some of those guys will be annoyed if you’re wearing a t-shirt. It’s a lot like the Seven Mistakes In One Day experience above. In a large group of people, a small % is going to be angry at you for certain mistakes, but they will be very vocal about it, and it might just suck up a large amount of your time and energy.

7. Review Any Relevant Material - Since you’re going to be doing something soon, might as well hit the ground running. It’s hard for any of the other stuff above to work when you’re like “What? Wait, what was that thing again? I sort of remember us talking about it a while back” for a couple of things. At least be familiar with the general areas of what needs to be done, and be prepared to start doing them.

8. Do Your Job, And Do It Well - You were hired to get things done. All that emotional bonding is completely meaningless if you can’t contribute to the welfare of the organization. That’s what you are here for, so show them why they hired you.

As all your clothes are prepared for tomorrow‘s interview, you should prepare your emotional state as well. Of course, it depends a lot on your own personality, however, there‘re some tips which might be useful while feeling confident and relaxed during the interview. 

Motion creates Emotion
Get moving! Go for a walk, run, exercise, cycle, meditate, do Yoga or Tai Chi, stretch, dance, do something! Exercise gets your blood flowing to your brain and can improve your mood almost instantly.

Listen to Music
Sing your favorite song that gets you in a great state of mind. This works great while driving to the interview. You arrive in a fabulous mood.

Inspirational Phases
Repeat an inspirational phrase that is meaningful for you. Write it down, read it and say it out loud.

Use Your Imagination
Imagine yourself doing your favorite activity. Imagine every detail vividly and you will be amazed at how your body will feel. Our nervous system responds to our imagination as if the images in our mind are real.

Remember
Remember a time when you were absolutely at your best. Pick the mood; remember what you were doing in detail and voila, your body returns to that state of being. Remember a time when you felt absolutely at your best, or imagine how it will feel when your current job search is complete and you have landed this fabulous position making more money than you have ever made before.

 Nevertheless, some other things also should be done before the interview:

 1.      Research the company. Make it clear what the company does, what your position requires, etc. It is essential to know main things as the interviewer may ask something and not answering may lower your chances to get a job.

2.      Review your resume. Read all the information given in your CV and prepare to answer questions connected with this data. 

Retrieved from http://www.interviewmastery.com/newsletters.cfm?action=newsletters_details&newsletterID=51673

As you have already written wondeful application letter, it needs one essential attachment- your CV. People usually doubt about the way their CV would be prepared or the infomation included. Here‘s some useful tips bellow…

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Personal details

Name, home address, college address, phone number, email address, date of birth.

Do you have your own web homepage? Include it (if it’s good!).

If your name does not obviously show if you are male or female, include this!

Education

Give places of education where you have studied - most recent education first. Include subject options taken in each year of your course. Include any special project, thesis, or dissertation work.

Pre-college courses (high school, etc.) should then be included, including grades. Subjects taken and passed just before college will be of most interest. Earlier courses, taken at say age 15-16, may not need much detail.

Work experience

List your most recent experience first. Give the name of your employer, job title, and very important, what you actually did and achieved in that job. Part-time work should be included.

Interests

They will be particularly interested in activities where you have leadership or responsibility, or which involve you in relating to others in a team. A one-person interest, such as stamp-collecting, may be of less interest to them, unless it connects with the work you wish to do. Give only enough detail to explain. (If you were captain of a sports team, they do not want to know the exact date you started, how many games you played, and how many wins you had! They will ask at the interview, if they are interested.) If you have published any articles, jointly or by yourself, give details.

If you have been involved in any type of volunteer work, do give details.

Skills

Ability in other languages, computing experience, or possession of a driving licence should be included.

References

Usually give two names - one from your place of study, and one from any work situation you have had. Or if this does not apply, then an older family friend who has known you for some time. Make sure that referees are willing to give you a reference. Give their day and evening phone numbers if possible.

Length

Maybe all you need to say will fit onto one sheet of A4. But do not crowd it - you will probably need two sheets. Do not normally go longer than this. Put page numbers at the bottom of the pages - a little detail that may impress.

Presentation

You may vary the style according to the type of job, and what is accepted in your country and culture. So a big company would normally expect a formal CV on white paper. But, just perhaps, a CV applying for a television production job, or graphic designer, could be less formal - coloured paper, unusual design, etc! .

 Retrieved from http://www.soon.org.uk/cvpage.htm

People often read various articles about successful managers, directors, doctors…These stories inspire readers to achieve something amazing themselves. At first glance, it seems not so easy. What to do? Where to start?  The basic step is to realize WHAT you want to do. Some people know this since their childhood, other find themselves only after a long and hard work. There‘s no piece of advice that suits to everybody. It‘s really personal thing. However, after you realize it (let‘s call this stage „step 0“), things become more clear. There‘re two options:  try to establish your own business or to find a job in already existing company. As Days of Opportunities is more connected with finding a permanent job or internship, in this section we‘ll concentrate on the second case.

Usually, your carreer starts with the letter of application(or a personal statement)- the thing which encourages(or not)  the employers to read your CV. So how to write it that readers would be sure that you‘re the one they tried to find? Hope some info below would be useful.

 1) PREPARE YOUR MATERIALS

Before you sit down to write, do some preparation in order to avoid frustration during the actual writing process. Obtain copies of documents such as transcripts, resumes and the application form itself; keeping them in front of you will make your job of writing much easier.

2) WRITE A FIRST DRAFT

Answer the Question: A major problem for all writers can be the issue of actually answering the question being asked. For example, an application might want you to discuss the reason you are applying to a particular program or company.

Consider The “I” Problem: This is a personal statement; using the first person pronoun “I” is acceptable. Writers often feel rather self-conscious about using first person excessively, either because they are modest or because they have learned to avoid first and second person (“you”) in any type of formal writing.

Avoid Unnecessary Duplication: Sometimes a writer has a tendency to repeat information in his or her personal statement that is already included in other parts of the application packet (resume, transcript, application form, etc.). However, it is more efficient and more effective to simply mention academic progress briefly (“I was on the Dean’s List“ or “I have taken numerous courses in the field of nutrition”) and then move on to discuss appropriate work or volunteer experiences in more detail.

Make Your Statement Distinctive: One way to do this is to include at least one detailed example or anecdote that is specific to your own experience—perhaps a description of an important family member or personal moment that influenced your decision to pursue a particular career or degree.

Keep It Brief: Usually, personal statements are limited to 250–500 words or one typed page, so write concisely while still being detailed. Making sure that each paragraph is tightly focused on a single idea (one paragraph on the strengths of the program, one on your research experience, one on your extracurricular activities, etc.) helps keep the essay from becoming too long.

Personal Statement Format

As mentioned before, the requirements for personal statements differ, but generally a personal statement includes certain information and can follow this format (see following model).

Introduction

Many personal statements begin with a catchy opening, often the distinctive personal example mentioned earlier. From there you can connect the example to the actual program/position for which you are applying. Mention the specific name of the program or company, as well as the title of the position or degree you are seeking.

Detailed Supporting Paragraphs

Subsequent paragraphs should address any specific questions from the application, which might deal with the strengths of the program/position, your own qualifications, your compatibility with the program/position, your long-term goals or some combination thereof. Each paragraph should be focused and should have a topic sentence that informs the reader of the paragraph’s emphasis.

Conclusion

Tie together the various issues that you have raised in the essay, and reiterate your interest in this specific program or position. An application letter contains many of the same elements as a personal statement, but it is presented in a business letter format and can sometimes be even shorter and more specific than a personal statement. An application letter may not contain the catchy opening of the personal statement but instead includes detailed information about the program or position and how you found out about it. Another difference between a personal statement and an application letter is in the conclusion, which in an application letter asks for an interview.

3) REVISING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT/APPLICATION LETTER

This revision needs to occur on both the content level (did you address the question? is there enough detail?) and the sentence level (is the writing clear? are the mechanics and punctuation correct?).

Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/personal_statement.shtml