4 Ways Not to Get a Job

Looks like an invasion of personal space

After a five- year hiatus, I have rejoined the job-search group.  If you are reading this post for tips on how to get a job, then I suggest you read another blog post. Since I have not yet been able to land my career job, I cannot tell you how to get one. However, as someone who has received a couple of rejection emails, I can certainly tell you what will cause you not to get a job.

No. 1  Putting All of Your Eggs in One Basket

The last thing you want to do is put your faith in one job. Even if you had an interview that you believe went  well, you should apply for other positions while you’re waiting to hear back from the employer. Most employers are not going to tell you at the end of the interview that they think you suck and they have no intention of hiring you. While you’re  in a dream land waiting for them to call you and offer you a position that is not going to happen, you’re missing out on other job opportunities.

No. 2  Hiding Your Resume

Do you see your resume?

You may be under the impression that posting your resume on Monster and CareerBuilder provides visibility to employers, but take a second and think about the other billions of people who also posted their resume on these sites. I’m not saying that CareerBuilder and Monster are not good sites to have your resume posted on. In fact,  I know people who have gotten jobs as a result of doing so. The point I’m trying to make is you should post your resume on a vast amount of career sites, specifically niche sites. For example, manhattanjobs.com is a career site for those seeking employment in Queens. (Did you catch that?)

No. 3  Staying Stuck in Your Ways

In case you aren’t aware of this, it’s the year 2010. You now have additional resources that you can use to search for jobs, one being social media. I’m sure you know how to search for jobs on LinkedIn, but do you know how to look for work on Twitter and Facebook? On Twitter, I follow @WriterJobsNY, which tweets  public relations and communications’ openings. On Facebook, companies like Earnst & Young use its Facebook page to inform its “fans” about upcoming recruiting events.

No. 4  Doubting Yourself

If you don’t believe in yourself, then who will? The process of finding a job in today’s market is more difficult than ever, but it is not impossible. I know of  a few people who looked for an entire year before finding a job. The key is to believe in yourself and to not give up. (That’s something I tell myself every day.)

I hope this post has been somewhat helpful and I wish you luck on your job search.  What’s one thing that you think prevented you or someone  from landing a job in the past?

Who’s The Real Bad Guy in Jamaica?

Friend or foe?

Did you know that 76 people in Jamaica were gunned down in the last week? Are you aware that 700 Jamaicans have been detained since the government’s attempt to arrest Christopher Coke started? You may know this information from following the news, but there is one piece of information that seems to remain unanswered: Who is the real threat in Jamaica? Is it Coke and his supporters or is it the government? I certainly do not have the answer to this question, but there seems to be some sort of  cover-up.

Michael "Dudus" Coke

I first heard of Jamaica being under a state of emergency last Monday. I had just gotten home from school, and wasn’t paying  much attention to the story until I heard the reporter say, “Some people look at him [Coke] as a Robin Hood.”  That statement struck me as odd because most neighborhoods don’t care for people who are the source of trouble in their neighborhood. I know Jamaica is different from the United States, but I thought to myself that there must be more to this story, and sure enough, there was.

According to a New York Times article, Jamaican politicians ally with drug lords for political reasons. Because these drug lords supply the people in their neighborhoods with the  food and resources that the government fails to provide, they have the influence over the people that Jamaican politicians need to win votes. The United States attempted to expedite Coke previously, but the Jamaican government refused to cooperate. What made the government suddenly change its mind? Why is it now ready  to turn Coke over and why is it so desperate to do so?

In a recent TimesOnline article, Coke stated that the government, particularly Prime Minister Bruce Golding, is trying to kill him in order to prevent  him from exposing Golding. Coke stated that if he is arrested by the Jamaican government, he will be killed just as  his father was. Coke is allegedly trying to seek political asylum overseas as a result.

Is the Jamaican government hiding information or is Coke trying to come up with a plan to flee? According to CNN.com, Jamaican residents told reporters that the government had been burning citizens. In a different news story, the residents of Tivoli Gardens tried to get journalists to investigate a cemetery, where they said the government forces secretly buried some of the people they had killed during the upheaval. The government denied both the claim of a cemetery and burning people.  Some Jamaican citizens stated that the people of Tivoli Gardens  began shooting at the cops first. With all of these stories, it’s hard to determine who’s responsible for all that’s happened. Who do you think is the real bad guy?