What’s your job search IQ?

Are you unemployed or languishing in a job you don’t like? Recruitment consultant Jim Beqaj, author of the new book, How to Hire the Perfect Employer: Finding the Job and Career That Fit You Through a Powerful Personal Infomercial, has developed a simple “job search IQ quiz” which identifies exactly how prepared you are as job seeker, and assesses your plan to find an employer who is the perfect fit for you.

Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each question, with 10 being “Absolutely” and 1 “Not at all.”

1. Are you able to easily articulate your “good at” list and do you have solid evidence to back up it up?

Careful and honest assessment of your strongest and weakest areas is essential in both searching for the right job and performing well in interviews. A “personal balance sheet,” which helps you find common denominators in the things you enjoy most and least and clearly identifies your strengths, is a must.

2. Do you have a plan to find a company and people where your personality type will be a good fit?

Getting a job is great, but finding one that doesn’t match your personality ultimately leads to unhappiness.

3. Do you really know your preferred style of resolving conflicts?

There is no such thing as a job without conflicts. Satisfaction and happiness with a job can be greatly affected by the manner in which you prefer to handle conflicts, and the way others resolve conflicts.

4. Are you prepared to interview the interviewer by asking questions to determine if this company and job is the right fit for you?

Figuring out whether a company and job is right for you is determined by assessing whether a company is made up of people with whom you’re compatible and a company culture in which you will thrive.

5. Do you have a “personal infomercial” — your compelling pitch and presentation that sells you and makes you irresistible to an employer?

Revealing who you really are in an interview — your passions, strengths, attitude and personality — will impress an interviewer and also help determine whether a job is really right for you.

6. Are you prepared to present yourself in a manner that will overcome any potential shortfalls in experience and put you at the top of the list of applicants?

Passion, enthusiasm and energy can trump experience. Most employers ultimately want people who love what they do and exude a positive, compelling, and powerful attitude, brimming with passion.

7. Have you identified your “target rich environment” — companies that want and need you, with the type of work, people and culture in which you will excel?

Sending resumés out blindly to a general category of businesses in your field or matching your college degree is a mistake.

Narrowing your list of companies to ones with the highest probability of success in terms of where you are both wanted and needed saves time, reduces frustration and makes you a well-oiled job-seeking machine.

Answers

How do you rate? If you scored between…

55-70: Congratulations! Odds are you will land an ideal job with a company that best fits you.

40-54: You’re in a good position. A few tweaks to your approach and additional ammunition and you’re good to go.

30-53: You’re in a better position than some job seekers but your search system needs a lot of improvement.

15-29: Revamp your approach immediately! The odds of landing the right job at the right company for you are not good.

0-14: Warning! Change your entire approach to your job search. You may get some type of job, but it will not be the right one for you.

Visit: www.beqajinternational.com/perfectemployer to watch helpful videos related to each of the questions.