Remember being asked that question ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ when you were young.  You saw people at work and wanted to be a fireman, nurse, doctor, teacher or postman.  You had no idea what it took to become skilled in those professions, they just sounded exciting and very grown up.

Well now that you’re grown up, the question of what you want to be is actually a little more difficult.  Yet knowing what you want is fundamental to ensuring that you find the right job, otherwise you could land up in a job from hell.  You see, some people are really suited to teaching, yet others loathe this profession and end up tired, stressed and burnt-out before reaching 50.  Likewise some people don’t want anything to do with client contact, yet others people love client contact and get maximum enjoyment from connecting with diverse people on a daily basis.

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With the passing of Steve Jobs, we are reminded of how technology, information sharing and the internet have changed since its inception.  Just 7 years ago, the idea of typing your name into Google and having your name appear in the search engines was unheard of, let alone LinkedIn and Facebook.

These are exciting times and an information sharing revolution is upon us.  As a job seeker, you need to be aware that this information sharing has taken us to a new age as a job seeker, in both the public and private sector.  What you primarily need to be aware of, is that the majority of employers and recruiters are undertaking comprehensive background checks on all applicants  (both online and offline) and if you apply for a government job, background checks are usually mandatory, with those requiring security clearance undergoing very intensive scrutiny.

So what does this all mean to you as a job seeker?

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