Trabaho Philippines Blog

On a typical day, we spend 8 hours of work, at least 1 hour each commuting to and from work and 1 hour for lunch break. That’s a total of 11 hours devoted to work everyday, almost half of the 24 hours we have for each day. If you spend almost half of the 24 hours at work, isn’t just reasonable that you enjoy your work and you feel satisfaction at the work that you do? If not, it is time to consider a career change.

Why career change? Why not just a change of job? The answer is simply because you are not happy with you present work, why do the same work that doesn’t make you happy at a different place?

Times are hard in the Philippines and just having a job to support your family is blessing enough. But you should not limit yourself. You are not yet quitting on your current job, you are just considering if a career change will be better for you.

Just think about this. If money were not a problem, what would you be doing today? If you have let’s say P20 million in your bank account today, will you continue on doing what you are doing? If you answer is no, then why not think of how you can have a work that you will continue to love even if you have all the money in this world?

Out work is not just a way to make money. It is also an opportunity for us to use our skills and serve others. The people from the next apartment all work for this local company. They have minimum salary but they are very devoted to the company. When you talk with them, you’ll know that they are proud of their company. They speak well of their boss.

We need money because we need to pay for our needs and occasional wants but at the end of the day you also need something that will make you feel that you have contributed something; that you produced something that can be beneficial to others.

If you only work for money, and are not happy with your work, don’t stop working yet. . . just consider a career change.

It can be very hard to find work these days. Times are hard, prices of basic commodities and services are going up. The least that we need is being unemployed. I know from experience how it can be very frustrating to look and find work much less find work that you love. One job hunting tip that I suggest is to streamline your choice of work to apply for.

Are you like most of the fresh graduates who print out 20 copies of their resume and go building-hopping in Ayala? You think that you will have a better chance of getting work this way but this is actually one reason why many fresh graduates don’t get accepted in any of the jobs they applied for.

You have to take a look at your skills and your interests and choose only the work and the companies that you feel can utilize best your skills.

You have to spend time studying the positions and qualifications set by the employers. Also, you have to spend time knowing yourself better—what things you did in high school or college that really made you happy and that you really enjoyed doing, what are the curricular subjects in college or high school that you are really interested in.

Sometimes employers are looking for applicants with specific degrees. Some positions require that applicants have a degree in Accountancy, for example. There are positions that advertise degree requirement but the position doesn’t necessarily need it. As long as you feel you like the position and you feel that your skills and achievements have to do with the position, then this is the instance where you send your resume.

Don’t just submit your resume like you are distributing leaflets. You’re just wasting time. You’ll have a better chance at getting accepted if you choose only those job vacancies that you think can use your skills, education and you think you’ll enjoy.

Looking at the classified section of the newspaper and online job portals are not the only ways you can find work. Another job hunting strategy is to network with people. Networking is just approaching people and letting them know that you are looking for job. You may be surprised that there are a lot of people around you who are more than willing to help.

Don’t overlook your family. Talk to your parents and older siblings. You can also talk to your older cousins, aunts and uncles. Even if they are not working in the field that you want; they may know of people who are working in that field. Give them a copy of your resume so that when they encounter someone who is working in the field that you want, they can just pull out your resume and give it to them personally.

There is a better chance for your resume to be noticed by the HR if it is handed by someone who is working in the same company rather than being stacked with hundreds of other resumes from other applicants.

You can also get in touch with your classmates from college or from high school. Ask them if they have work. Let them know that you are looking for a job. When they know that you are looking for a job, they can inform you of a job opening when they see one. If they are employed, they can give you inside information if their company has vacancy that is related to your field.

You can also network with people who may help you find job by letting everyone you meet know that you are looking for work—the people in your gym, your badminton partners, your Bible study group, your socio-civic group. If you don’t belong to any group and has been planning to join one, this is the right time to join now. You’ll not only join the group that you want, you’ll also have the opportunity to meet people who may help you find a job.

Do you have a particular person whom you look up to and want to do whatever he or she is doing? Why not send him/her an e-mail? Check if he or she has a blog. Research him/her in the internet. Find out his/her email address. Send him/her an email and ask how to get inside the industry. Successful people are flattered when people look up to them and most of them will help you.

Job hunting can be very hard especially since these are trying times in the Philippines. But you have to exhaust all your assets so that you’ll find the work that best suits your skills and interests. Don’t settle for a work that you know you’ll not be happy with. With a little people skills and patience, you’ll finally find that work.

Finally, after weeks of grueling wait, one of the companies that you are applying for called you up and scheduled you for a job interview. A job interview means that the company feels that you are qualified for the position and wants see you face-to-face and talk to you so that they can know if you have the right attitude for the work. A job interview is also an opportunity for you to market your skills and work experiences.

In preparing for a job interview, remember that you have to highlight your strong points. You need to have clear relevant information about yourself that you think will prove that you deserve to get the position you are eyeing for.

In order for you to do this, you have to know something about the company and the nature of the work that you are applying for. Go to the company’s web site or ask around for people who know about the company. Read the qualifications in the job advertisement again and think of those times when you showed that you have those qualifications.

If one of the qualifications for example is communication skill, think of specific instances when you have demonstrated this skill. List other strong points that you feel the employer needs to know about you so that you will not take long to think during your job interview.

Preparing for a job interview also involves practicing what you will say and how you will talk to the interviewer. You can look in the mirror and pretend that you are in front of the interviewer. This is a very effective way to lessen your stuttering and to improve the way you speak with people.

Sleep early the night before the interview because you can think more clearly when your mind is given time to rest.

During the day of the interview, go to the vicinity of the office early so that if ever you get lost or can’t find the office, you still have a lot of time to look for it.

Always tell yourself that you will not be called for a job interview if the employer does not think that you have something that the other applicants don’t have. Preparing for a job interview is also about mind setting. When you know that you deserve to get the position, the confidence will come out during the job interview.