Is this you? You have job vacancies delivered to your mobile device and you think life couldn't be any better when applying for a job? The fingers tap away on "Apply Now"...and another application sent - yay!   Now all you have to do is wait for the interview call and then... a day passes by then another....followed by a week and eventually a month.  You have stuck to the same routine each day without success what are you doing wrong? First, its time to stop that routine! Life in a digital world is fun and convenient but you have to be smart. Spare a thought for the Hiring Manager, who has to read your daily applications (and not just yours...others too!)...because you have been applying relentlessly each day to every job opening from the same organisation. The person reading your emails/application is another human being just like you.   "Just match the job description to the skills of the candidate"....right! well not quite! Recruitment is an art as much as a scientific process. Only if it was that simple. We will not discuss the mind of a recruiter here.  But here are some simple things you can do to improve the chance of that interview Applying for a job follow the laws of attraction - first impressions count. So, it pays to care about the detail....and create a positive impact in the mind of the recruiter.  Seven things to help you get that interview...  1. Prepare a CV . It should cover all the salient points about you. For example, these things are a must: Education, experience, qualifications, hobbies, referees, availability and aspirations. Also, include volunteer work if any. Make it about you without quirky fonts or images.  2. Do not spam!  Be very selective when applying for roles. If you have applied once for a role with a company, there is no point in applying for an exact same role that is advertised 2 months later. Chances are, the Recruiting manager still remembers you and for a valid reason not shortlisted you. Your fresh application is probably headed for the delete folder. Also, if you applied for say as a security officer before should you now apply for housekeeping? Chances are in your desperation for a role you are blindly applying for all roles. Sit back and evaluate what really are your skills. Are you suited for an indoor job or outdoor? Do you prefer working behind a desk or being on your feet? Do you like meeting customers or enjoy working alone? These and many more questions like these should clarify the types of jobs you are suited to. if you cannot decide - talk to your friends and family who know you best. Often they can point you in the right direction. 3. Covering letter . Always have a covering letter. A covering letter should contain your reasons for applying for a job. It should reflect your personality and personal qualities that you may not have covered in your CV and why certain aspects of your skills match the job advertisement.   4. Be polite . Everyone loves to be treated with politeness and respect. So, start your letter with "Dear Sir or Madam". Always keep it formal and not as if you are talking or writing to a close friend. If you know their name,  address them by their surname. Respect and politeness go a long way. 5. Clear layout for CV. Have simple and clear headings that are easy on the eye. Heading makes it easy to read and lets the reader focus their eyes on what they wish to read. Do not clutter the CV by reducing the font size to make it "fit" into your planned number of pages. There is nothing more annoying than reading a CV where the reader needs eyeglasses when they have perfect vision in real life. 6. Adequate details. The CV should contain an adequate amount of detail to convey the message regarding your experience and who you are for THAT job you applying for. I know you love bullet points - but they alone will not give enough to the recruiter. Do not make them guess about your experience. For example, simply writing... "managed all phone calls" does not make you shine from the other applicants. But if you wrote - "managed all incoming calls in a busy environment with 70 calls an hour". This now changes the work dimension and gives it better information. 7. Complete profile . if you are using an online job board platform to apply for jobs, then make sure your profile is completed properly in the system.  The online profile can also be your electronic CV, but its best to have a "Word or PDF" version of your CV loaded along with your profile.  Also, ensure the profile details are consistent with what is on your CV. Looking for a job is a job - Good luck!  

Q1. What do I need to register as a job seeker? A1. A valid email is required for you to register as a job seeker  (you must have an email eg a gmail or yahoo)   Q2. Can I use my work email? A2: You can use your work email.....BUT do you wish your employer/IT staff to know that you are looking for a job? We let you decide...   Q3. How many job seeker accounts should I have? A3: Just one! If you submit multiple requests - all accounts/requests will be deleted. You will need to re-register with one valid email.   Q4. Can I have any email name I wish? A4: We highly recommend that you have an email that reflects your name. Keep it sensible. Looking for a job is serious business - why have emails that are likely to screen you out as being unprofessional. We will delete accounts that have an email that is in poor taste and unprofessional. 

We recently polled our user database to gauge how likely they were to leave their existing employer. The results surprised us! Admittedly it was not a scientific poll but an indicator of how people are feeling. Staff Turnover - good or bad? Any staff turnover used to be seen negatively in the jobs for life era but now amongst many circles - it is celebrated at least when it is a "healthy" churn.  New staff can bring new ideas and fresh perspectives. In that instance, we celebrate the departure of ex-staff and celebrate the new ones. However, there is a point where certain staff are critical to the business and their departure means; a big loss of knowledge and experience to the business and of course cost. Our Survey Results are concerning: In response to the question: "How likely are you to change jobs within the next year? " 94% Yes, if the opportunity arose 6% No, I'm happy and content There were over 60 respondents to this poll and, again we stress perhaps a small sample but 94% in any poll sample is overwhelming sample bias aside. So, If your employees are thinking about better opportunities for themselves, and if they are critical to the business, then there are dire implications for your business. Sure, it might be that the economy is buoyant and people feel the confidence to move but is it all due to that - do you know? Do you know what the baseline churn for your organisation is vs. your industry? What are you doing? At the risk of stating the obvious, do you need to swing into staff retention strategies....before they walk out of the door and it is too late? What is the cost of hiring vs. retention? What does it mean for morale?  What can you do? We would welcome your feedback on staff retention strategies.   

Let’s face it, candidates are human just like us and they have feelings too. Yes,  a reminder is needed of the obvious.  The key reason often stated is because you have not “sold” the job properly. What’s in it for me? Why should a candidate join your organisation? If you can't sell the job to yourself and not passionate about the product (your organisation) then it will come out. Even more sadly, we found there are a number of organisations that get NO views (yes! that's right). Remembering that our website gets about 120,000 eyeballs on them a month. We can't be sure which one is yours - but here are 5 possible reasons ... #1.   Perceived negative reputation of your organisation.  No good just having a logo if your brand is not known or worse, negatively perceived. We can tell by the applications (or lack of) of organisations that are consistently shunned. #2 .  Candidates are switched off by your organisation.  It’s possible they applied for roles and didn’t even receive acknowledgement letters despite advertising regularly. We wrote about candidate care  here #3.   Lack of talent for the role you are looking for.  This one is obvious. If you are looking for an astronaut they are hard to find. Then again......why don't you train one? #4.   Application  process is just "too hard".  We found that generally adverts that asked "hand deliver" or " post application " or "walk up" are generally not well received by job seekers. Who will ' walk up " to you in Viria (no offence to Viria of course but you get our point!). #5.   Short expiry . Asking for a candidate to apply within three days. Candidates get the sense you are not serious and the advertisement is probably there for some other reason other than hiring the best. We hope your organisation does not fall into  anyone  of these (*). So, what is the answer to your advert performance...send us a message for the team at  MyJobsSamoa  to help you! We think we have solutions to these.

 HOW DO I APPLY IN  MYJOBS    ? - Q&A Q1. How do I apply for jobs that I see on www.myjobssamoa.com? A. You will need to sign up on this job site. It’s quite easy to do. If you need help email us info@myjobssamoa.com Q2. Do I need to have an employer’s email address when applying for a job? A. There is a button “apply now “ next to each job listing - you click on this and apply for any role that interests you. The employer’s email is hidden out of sight in the background and when you click apply it goes to them.   . Q3. How many jobs can I apply for? A. You can apply for as many jobs as you wish! But, you should apply for roles that interest you and for which you have the skills, experience and qualifications. Q4. Can I get notified about new jobs on the site? A. Mymyjobssamoa is a smart job site with lots of features. It basically works for you - so, you can set up alerts when setting up your profile Q5. For what jobs  are alerts  possible? A. You can set as many different alerts as possible. For instance, you can set up an alert to get notified of jobs posted:      a. by your favourite  employer     b . for a role e.g.. barman,     c. that are in a particular geographical area e.g. Upolu or American Samoa     d . daily or weekly Q6. Where and when are the job alerts sent? A. Alerts are sent to your email... so  do  keep an eye on them. Every time a job that meets your alert criteria is posted on our job site - you will be notified. It's like it carrying a personal assistant in your pocket! So all you need is a smartphone that has your email and you can relax...wait for job alerts to keep you update. Never miss a job opportunity! Q7. Do I have to complete a new profile every time I apply for a job? A. No, that’s the smart thing about this job site. Once a profile is created and you have fully signed up - you can happily apply for jobs without much effort! Q8. How do I know that the jobs listed are not expired? A. All the jobs that we list have an automatic expiry date based on when the company to define as a deadline. So if you can see the job on the website - it’s still not yet expired Q9. Will I see jobs for office type only? What about work such as electrician, plumber or housekeeper? A. We designed Myjobssamoa as a  one-stop  shop for all types of jobs. You might need to wait for newspapers to look for jobs - but we have to educate the employers to post all types of jobs on this website. So go and spread the word.!!  

So what makes you more valuable than the others.....in your organisation? Here are three simple things... 1. Trust  Specifically building trust. Trust comes from two things - integrity and being capable of doing your job. Honesty is a highly valued trait and is often is part of what defines your integrity. Speak your mind appropriately when asked and if you are unsure be honest. It is perfectly "Ok" to not know all the answers or to put your hand up and admit/own your weaknesses. Trust also flows from your capabilities. You were hired for your role because the organisation that hired you had the faith in your technical and interpersonal skills.  2. Go the extra mile... Think outside the square and do not turn a blind eye to things as they are not in your position description. Managers/owners treasure people who are creative and are problem solvers. Don't throw your hands up in the air and declare "too hard". Find a way forward by brainstorming, discussing and researching the issues. If there is a tap leaking water...."tighten the tap properly" or wash the dishes in the sink. It is not in anyone's job description to tighten leaky taps! Small things get noticed...go with the saying "be the standard that you walk past".  3. Enthusiasm Be excited to be rolling out of bed to go to work!  When an issue or problem is given to you -  show that you have a 'can do attitude".  Be positive at work and when asked "how are you feeling?" Do not spend the next 30 minutes doing a download of the million issues you are facing in your life. That may be the last time someone asks you that question and everyone will probably avoid you in the lunch room. (Of course seek help if you genuinely have problems....but not everyone at work will be ready to hear your issues and are your friends). If it is too painful thinking about work.....you are not in the right job .There are two options available:  a.change the environment at work so that it is a fun environment and, b. if you can't change that environment - go somewhere else where you will be happy!  Radical right! Well we have discussed with a lot of people over the years and have also experienced this first hand. Gandhi is credited with saying "Be the change you want to see in the world"...start being that change!