The Ultimate Checklist for Filipino Job Seekers

Categories: Other

Published Date: 6 years ago

Whenever I see job fairs being held in the activity center at Trinoma, I remember the younger version of me lined up on the exact same spots, waiting to be ushered in by the guard.

I recall coming in early with the hopes of finishing ASAP but always ended up spending the whole day waiting in line and interviewing with hiring managers. It was hard.

With hundreds and thousands of people trying to do the same thing, the whole place looked like a jam-packed concert filled with fans.

But instead of singing along with our favorite bands and artists, we were there not to enjoy the music: We were there to look for a job.

Looking for a job is always quite an undertaking, at least in my experience.

Scouring JobStreet for leads, updating my resume, phone interviews, walk-ins, doing in-person interviews, taking tests – the whole process can take weeks and even months to complete.

I remember chasing one lead after another, only to hit a dead end weeks after when I realize I was not getting that job.

Was there anything I could have done that would have increased my chances of getting hired? I think so.

Fresh from the university, I simply borrowed my older brother’s resume and copied his template (some parts I replicated word-for-word), made copies, stuffed them into a brown envelope and started hunting.

That’s it. That was my whole gameplan.

One time, I had an interviewer ask me, “Really, this is your email address?” She looked unamused as she pointed at the email address I wrote in the application form. It was my Ragnarok username @yahoo.com.

Let’s just say it was not too professional sounding.

I wish I had this job seeker’s checklist back then. I wouldn’t have been so clueless.
I would’ve had a better strategy during each stage of the process. I would’ve probably had higher chances of landing some jobs I wanted.

Alas, it’s all too late now so I just chalked it up to experience. So if you’re looking for a job right now and stumbled upon this, congrats! This job seekers’ checklist good place to start. Happy hunting!