I moved to a new area in a few months ago and started a new job. Well, it was a small family business with a total of 5 employees (including the owner) and long story short, it was an absolute nightmare and a very unstable work environment. I quit today because I simply could not take anymore. My question is this-- how do I find a new, better job?
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Does anyone have interview tips? I'm a wonderful (and very skilled) employee with lots of experience but I always get incredibly nervous during interviews. Also, what questions can I ask the interviewer to help determine whether or not the job is right for me?
Another major issue is that before I moved I'd only been with the company for 3.5 months. I gave more than two week's notice before quitting that company and the only reason I left was because my boyfriend (somewhat unexpectedly) asked me to move in with him (we'd been in a long distance relationship for awhile at that point.) Now I am leaving my current position after only a few months. How can I explain my less than incredibly stable work history as of late? I also know the question of why I left my most recent job will come up and I'm not sure how to explain it without bad-mouthing the business (which is clearly a bad idea!)
Also-- how do you negotiate salary? When they tell me to give salary expectations I'm never sure what to ask for, especially if I'm unsure what the company normally pays. There is a big range in salary here for the positions that I am applying for, anywhere from 8-17 dollars an hour depending on the employer. I have 3 years of experience in my field, and although I don't have a degree I do have 2.5 years of college experience.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much ladies!
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Alessi
Chloﾎ
Betty Jackson
I'm not sure you should put the last place on your resume.
Can you just leave it off? Say that you left your last job to relocate and then you took some time off before looking for a new job? It's only 3 months. That's not really a big gap.
When I look to hire someone, I look for people who take a specific interest in the position I'm hiring for. As in, don't send me a generic cover letter. Tailor it to the position you are applying for. Make it a great letter, no mistakes - have people proof read it etc.
And during the interview, definitely ask at least one or two questions of them. Maybe a question that shows you've done research on the company. As in: "I noticed on the website that your company...., will I be involved in working on that as well?" or whatever. It's hard to suggest without knowing what you will be doing.
No matter what, keep it positive. No complaining about old jobs etc. Good luck.
1I agree with leaving this last job off your resume, the move definitely explains the gap. Good questions to ask are things like, "What is the number one quality you would like someone to have in this position?" Then you can explain how you fit in that category. Do as much research as possible (this can be tricky though with smaller companies), you can come up with a lot of questions from looking at the company's website. As far as salary, most of the job sites (Monster, Career Builder)have salary calculators that look at the area you are looking in, industry, your background/experience/skills, etc. that can give you an estimate of what the average should be. Stick to your guns when you say what you are looking for in salary. Most people will give the impression that what you said is high when you state your salary range, but it looks much better to slowly negiotate down, than to just agree with a smaller amount that might be offered. Hope this helps. Good luck!
2I agree. Stick to your guns when it comes to salary. Ask for exactly what you want. I had to learn that this last year when I was interviewing. Companies want to keep their budget as low as possible. But why sell yourself short? I don't have my college degree, but I have been in the industry since 2001. However the job I applied for I had NEVER done before. I told them what I wanted to get paid, and guess what? I got it.
3I totally agree with you guys, especially about the salary, and like anonymous I am looking for a new job. I work for a small company (I'm the only employee besides the owner) and have been suffering here for 3.5yrs...Good luck anonymous!
4stick to your guns. especially with the salary. spruce up your resume. have someone proof it. practice interviewing with friends and family. surf the web and apply online as much as you can though I heard that over 70% of jobs are listed in the newspaper...go figure...
5how brave of you!
6just don't put the last business on your resume. they will never know:)
7Don't bring up sallary until they do. Rule of thumb know that the business pays enough for what you need, ask for that. Don't be nervous, I know thats easier said then done but if you think about it you don't know these people if they don't hire you their loss, if they do you will come off more powerful if your nervous energy didn't show. Try looking on Monster.com if you can't find a job
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