Pinoy Daily Talk

The Philippines bet to the Miss Universe pageant, Maria Venus Raj, is declared 4th runner-up winner.

Prior to her declaration, being one of the top five finalist, she must answer a question from the panel of judges to gauge her competitiveness and preparedness and perhaps to also find her composure in the middle of pressure.

Raj, was asked by judge William Baldwin, “What is one big mistake that you’ve made in your life and what did you do to make it right?”

She began her answer by saying “Thank you so much, Sir for that wonderful question” and then greets the audience which was met by wild cheering.

“You know what, Sir in my 22 years of existence I can say that there is nothing major major, I mean, problem that I have done in my life. Because I am very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So, thank you so much that I am here, thank you thank you so much,” she answered.

According to some analysts, her answer is the main reason why she placed 4th. It has been reported that in the ongoing voting in missuniverse.com, Raj remained number one with Miss Venezuela coming in next to her.

According to her, “everything that happened, God plotted it. After my experience, I knew myself better and I became a stronger person. If it hadn’t happened, I would just be an ordinary candidate.”

Congratulations!  May all your dreams come true…

What is the one thing that job-seekers must do in order to be successful in landing a good job?

Exhaust All Options

Tell everyone you know about the type of position you are looking for, network online and at industry events, go on informational , work with a recruiting firm, take on temporary assignments, and be flexible when meeting with prospective employers.

When developing your cover letter and resume, quantify the value of your contributions to previous employers, including how you helped cut costs, reduce inefficiencies or improve profitability. There are opportunities available, but job seekers will have to work harder to find them and cannot afford to leave even one stone unturned.

Network with Smarts

Candidates must be building and strengthening their network — ideally before it’s needed. Find events to go find other like-minded individuals and connectors. Build your online presence through your social networks and be an active participant in the community. And remember to give more than take — share your knowledge, help others be better, and invest time in building strong, long-lasting relationships. These are the relationships that could turn into future job leads.

Flexibility Is Key

Stay open to opportunities in new or related industries, companies of a different size, or in a different location; and be aware that with the advent of technology, a new location just may be your home office.

Be flexible. You may or may not have to travel a bit more, take a different title, or give up some of the perks you’ve had in the past to assume your new role. All things being equal, if you’re flexible around these topics you’re chances of getting hired increase considerably.

Diversify and Listen

Be ready to diversify the ways in which you communicate your experiences AND listen well.

First, make a laundry list, just for yourself, of all the projects, contributions, ideas, etc., from your last three positions. This is what’s not on your resume. It jogs your memory about how you have differentiated yourself. You’ll recall and distill examples of your success, and you’ll be ready for more questions.

Second, listen closely to what the recruiter and/or hiring manager is asking you. They are looking for something very particular, whether the opportunity is leadership or entry-level. Walking someone through your resume or citing examples that they’re not seeking could hinder your ability to seem specific to their job. You want to be very clear about your transferable skills and your willingness to adapt to their environment.

Tailor Your Resume

The most important thing that job seekers must do to be successful is to diversify the content of their resumes based on the roles that they are applying for. For example, a job seeker may have worked in the past as a Java engineer, and also obtained project management along the way. However, a resume that is oriented strongly toward being a Java engineer has only a slight chance of being considered for a project-manager position.

For job seekers to increase their chances at success, they should shape their resumes to reflect relevant matching skills with the job posting(s) they are applying to. By doing so, a recruiter and/or hiring manager will more easily understand how a job seeker’s past experiences apply to the posted role. This method increases the chance of being considered a strong candidate, receiving an interview, and, ultimately, a new position.

Professionally speaking, the effect of economic recession may have given you thoughts over the future. Don’t worry, what is happening at this moment is just a small span in a long career. Instead, create a vision to help you move forward.

Claim What You Want…

Deciding what you want to do doesn’t happen overnight. The process can be simple. “All of life’s journeys begin with the phrase, ‘I want….’ It’s a very powerful phrase, and without it, it’s hard to go very far.” Professional journey is like a trip, if you didn’t decide where you wanted to go on vacation, you’d likely wind up at a destination you don’t enjoy.

…Or What You Don’t Want

It’s hard to say what you want when you’re not sure of it. The reason certain people can’t answer that question is it that it’s too overwhelming. But most folks can say what they DON’T want. They can say, ‘I don’t want to work for a large company,’ or ‘I don’t want a lengthy commute.’ The flip side of what you don’t want is what you do want.”

Fight the Fear…

If creating a vision is so simple, why don’t more people do it? People are lost and afraid now, and they’re scared to say what they want because they’re afraid of not getting it. When it comes to vision, sometimes people won’t even say what they want unless they know they will get there or how to get there. But you have to create what you want first and then live into it. It’s like a declaration. It takes courage — and a bit of faith.

Ask Yourself…

Are you ready to build a vision for your desired professional destination? Begin by getting it down on paper. If you write down your vision and look at it on a daily basis, it’s more likely it will happen. Either consciously or subconsciously, you’ll take steps to make it a reality. Start with the following 10 questions.

1. If anything were possible, what would I want to be different in my career?
2. What type of job would I want?
3. What would I want to be responsible for?
4. What type of boss/coworkers/team would I want?
5. What kind of hours would I want to work?
6. What type of company would I want work for?
7. What sort of culture would I want the company have?
8. What city would I want to live in?
9. What salary would I want to earn?
10. What would I want my approach to stress, my workload, and deadlines be?

Get in the Game…

Once you have a vision, start acting on it. Everybody needs a game to play. If you don’t have a game, you get stuck in the day to day. The only way out is to say, ‘This is what I want next. You need momentum and action to move ahead this year!