First Installment
Nobody likes to look for work, but everybody has to do it. Getting a job takes time, effort and patience. You look for opportunities, send out resumes and then you have to ace the interview. Whew! Sounds like it’s time consuming, takes commitment and dedication and just plain hard work. It is! So to help you get started, One Day at a Time (ODAT for short) is happy to provide you with our ODAT’s “Job Hunting Guide!” We begin today with the first two installments.
Due to the economy jobs may be scarce right now and money tight, but don’t get discouraged. In a healthy economy the rule of thumb is that for every $10,000 you make it will take you a month to find a good job. For example, if you wish to get a job making $60,000, presumably it will take you 6 months to find that job. So understand that in a down economy it make take you a bit longer to find your ideal job. Here are some suggestions to help you:
• Make a “strategic plan” for yourself. What is your mission in life and what is your long-term vision for yourself? What is your employment history and what does your personal profile look like? What is your gap analysis; is there some additional professional development you might need to further advance your career? What is your SWOT Analysis…what are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? What trends (i.e. the economy) and driving forces that may affect your job hunt? What are your strategies, goals and objectives? What are your financial needs for you and your family and how will you determine what your salary requirements should be? How will you monitor & evaluate your job search efforts, in order to improve success?
• Look for a job in a field in which you have experience as well as something you enjoy. Or look for something that you are passionate about and have a true interest in. If you feel passionately or are curious about something that you may not have a lot of experience in, you might consider offering your services at a lower salary so you can learn. Your willingness to work for less may land you the job. Then if you learn quickly and make yourself an invaluable member of the team, you may be able to climb the pay ladder quickly.
• Focus your job search. Use the job search engines to find jobs by using keywords that match your interests and the location where you want to work. Narrowing your search criteria will give you more relevant job listings to review and less non-relevant job listings to weed through.
• Develop your personal brand. Create profiles on Monster.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, VisualCV, and JobFox to name a few. A strong personal brand that portrays you as a consummate professional will provide recruiters, employers, and contacts with a strong positive impression of you as a candidate they should interview.
• Network. Connect with everyone you know, because you never know who may be able to help you with your job search or put you in touch with someone who can.
• Use Job Search Tools. Check job search engine sites, job banks, company web sites, networking sites, niche job sites, and sites listed by type of job. Consider working with a recruiter to maximize your opportunities. One of the top-rated comprehensive employment and job resources search engines is the Riley Guide, www.rileyguide.com. The Riley Guide offers advice on how to conduct your job search, write resumes and cover letters, research and target employers, network, interview and negotiate salary, and hundreds of jobsites.
• Create a list of companies. Identify companies you would like to work for. Research each company’s information and create a working list of companies to target in your job search (you may want to update this list periodically). You can find all the detailed information you will need about potential employers on the web.
• Customize your cover letters and resumes to “fit” the company and job descriptions, as necessary, for each job you apply for. Customize letters and resumes that specifically link your qualifications to a job’s hiring criteria. The hiring manager will be able to see, at a glance, how and why you are qualified for the job and you will have much better chance of getting an interview than if you send a generic cover letter and resume.
• Ace the interview (more on this in the next installment). Be very confident and positive. You are competing against hundreds if not thousands of people qualified for the same position. Do your research, on the company and what the current market will bear for salaries in the positions for which you apply. Dress appropriately. And practice makes perfect. Identify some sample interviewing questions and determine your best responses. Follow up with a thank you letter thanking everyone you met with and reiterate your interest in the position and why you are the best candidate for the job. And remember that all things being equal with job candidates, nicest, happiest, best looking, and the most positive person will get the job. Don't give up.
• In order to obtain the best interviews you must take advantage of all opportunities. That includes networking, job fairs, online job searches, and advertised job openings. However, with lots of competition you want to stand out from the crowd and keep your resume and application out of the circular file. Contact the employer by phone (unless the job posting states otherwise), or call and see if you can come by and meet the hiring manager. If you find a company you really like, you might consider volunteering and applying for an entry level or intern program if you can afford to.
• The goal in a bad economy is to find a job that will see you through the slow years with enough money to maintain what you need, while allowing you to enjoy your life while you work. Yes, the world is in turmoil and yes money is tight, but you are living your life now. If earning money becomes more important than enjoying just being alive, what's the point?
Look on the bright side. This might be an ideal time to get your foot in the door with a great company and a job that will grow better and better as the economy heals.
Look for Installment 2 in ODAT’s “Job Hunting Guide” on our website, http://onedayatatime.com/ next month.
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