Guideline in Job Search

[JeffLKS]

Do you just apply to whatever jobs which you're qualified in or only on those that you're interested in?

Why am I asking? I had graduated 1 year ago with only temp jobs experiences under my belt, and have been on looking for job coming 2 months now. I know the industry I am interested in but seem that the openings are rather few.

My friend recommended that the best method is to apply to any jobs which you're eligible for, so you can then choose to take in any opportunities when you're being considered and hired. In the same time, I could also solidify my interview skills.

So I hope to hear from you guys for opinions and comments. Hopefully everyone who are jobless like me could achieve their dream job soon.

[miwashi]

you posted in edmw too right?

Try as much as you can to get a job that is somehow related to your longterm goal instead of taking the first offer that comes along.

Your first job determines just about your whole path.

[JeffLKS]

Originally Posted by miwashi

you posted in edmw too right?

Try as much as you can to get a job that is somehow related to your longterm goal instead of taking the first offer that comes along.

Your first job determines just about your whole path.

Hi Miwashi, you from EDMW forum too! Haha. Thanks for responding to my thread. Hmm, I agreed that the first job determination, and that's why I'm so troubled right now.

[miwashi]

yeah. my expertise is in editorial work, but i took on a gahment job as my first job. they're very generic with no real focus, but at least in that job i had opportunities to write a number of articles that went into print publications. But now interviewers for real content development positions say it wasn't a fulltime job scope and they can't consider it real experience.

That's why you should try to avoid taking the first job that comes along as long as you can unless it's really want you want to do for life. I couldn't because I had to pay off all my student bills, and now because of the career path I took I don't even have a career to speak of anymore.

Originally Posted by miwashi

yeah. my expertise is in editorial work, but i took on a gahment job as my first job. they're very generic with no real focus, but at least in that job i had opportunities to write a number of articles that went into print publications. But now interviewers for real content development positions say it wasn't a fulltime job scope and they can't consider it real experience.

That's why you should try to avoid taking the first job that comes along as long as you can unless it's really want you want to do for life. I couldn't because I had to pay off all my student bills, and now because of the career path I took I don't even have a career to speak of anymore.

How do you know that's your expertise? Do you try to keep up with editorial "trends"?

Why do you think you can excel in editorial work given that you can't even do well in grasscutting?

[miwashi]

Hello!
You seem to be very interested in me.
Why so? Are you one of my fans?

Originally Posted by miwashi

Hello!
You seem to be very interested in me.
Why so? Are you one of my fans?

Yes I am your fan.

[miwashi]

since you are so nice to me i will tell you a secret.

I got an some industrial development medal for best academic thesis in my honors cohort. Which was initially nominated by my then-supervisor as she felt the standard was there. Plus comments from my first 2 bosses on my articles, that it was very obvious information analysis and data presentation is your main strength.

So if it's a strength, why not develop it further and capitalize on it, instead of going through life doing something totally irrelevant to your interests and becoming a bitter old man? The average life span is only about 60+ these days.

Those people who make it big in life are those who took opportunities that were presented to them. I haven't had opportunities yet, and my dead-end job is clearly not going to give me any, but I'm always looking and ready to pounce on them.

Originally Posted by miwashi

since you are so nice to me i will tell you a secret.

I got an some industrial development medal for best academic thesis in my honors cohort. Which was initially nominated by my then-supervisor as she felt the standard was there. Plus comments from my first 2 bosses on my articles, that it was very obvious information analysis and data presentation is your main strength.

So if it's a strength, why not develop it further and capitalize on it, instead of going through life doing something totally irrelevant to your interests and becoming a bitter old man? The average life span is only about 60+ these days.

Those people who make it big in life are those who took opportunities that were presented to them. I haven't had opportunities yet, and my dead-end job is clearly not going to give me any, but I'm always looking and ready to pounce on them.

I am your fan but I think your goal is too idealistic. There's simply too little demand for good-to-great editorial jobs. Moreover, it's too easy for anyone to claim he has great editorial skills.

Who is the best editor you've seen? Is he really good, or could it be because his company is good?

[miwashi]

Exactly. That's why I'm trying to capitalize on all the related experience from my first 2 jobs, since my current one doesn't give me any ammo to use at interviews. In fact, when I go for interviews and they ask me about my current job, they can still laugh at what I'm doing and ask me 'how I ended up doing this kind of work'. It may sound elitist but I also note that if some people look at my job this way, especially directors in ministries, there are definitely many others who feel the same.

Anyway editorial work is not about teaching english. Many people think it is. They think editorial work is checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, and so on. It's much more than that. Deciding your audience, medium, tone, what content to deliver, what not to deliver, showing how it relates to them, and so on. Unfortunately during 15 minute interviews it's hard to give interviewers examples of this, so I have to show printouts of work I produced more than 6 years ago... but hopefully by June this year my new article will be out in Scientometrics. But these are not really editorial skills, more like typography skills. Editorial skills are all about being an expert in a field and knowing what is newsworthy, and making your articles fit the trend. That's why so many science editors are professors in their parent institutions, rather than english teachers.

There's also a world of difference between an editor for Her World magazine and an editor for Nature.




anyway this is really going off tangent from the TS's topic.