Job Search for the Rest of Us!: Monday Mission, November 12, 2012

Monday, November 12, 2012

Monday Mission, November 12, 2012

HOW TO FIND A JOB

Photo from: http://www.morguefile.com/creative/mconnors

If you have been unemployed and are not being successful, you may be missing one or more steps you must take to to find a job. You are not alone, many of the un-employed and under-employed are missing job search basics. The marketplace has undergone tremendous change recently and most job seekers are just not doing what they need to do to find a job. In short, job seekers continue to apply old techniques to a new job market.

In years past, you may have found work through a friend or relative. Your father, brother, mother, friend worked at Plant A and, when an opening was available, you were brought on. No muss no fuss. You may not have even considered what types of work or employers you might like.

In more recent years, job seekers took for granted that if they got an education they would apply for and be hired by the employer of their dreams. An education is no longer an entree to employment. If you fall into this category you might not have considered the need to build experience and knowledge outside of the educational system.

Job searching is just not that straight forward an endeavor in today’s marketplace. To obtain a position you must apply a number of techniques consistently and repeatedly and better than other applicants if you hope to be hired.

One of the first challenges a you face is how to find job openings, or find employers that may have job openings. You may be relying too heavily on online applications. These openings are known by, and applied to, by so many job seekers that it reduces the chances of being seriously considered.

Tapping into the hidden job market is the best way to be considered for jobs that are or will be available, but have not yet been widely advertised. Identifying unadvertised jobs should be a regular part of your job search activities. This path is not for the lazy! It requires hard and consistent work in identifying employers and/or industries who might be interested in hiring you.

Research, contact, and follow up are required to find unadvertised openings. Many job seekers are just not that willing to put in the effort , but doing so will

set you apart from other applicants. In addition, if you adopt this approach you will also have social contact and feedback that are missing when not working.

As far as the nuts and bolts of How to find a job, the key is activity: Regular, consistent, and meaningful activity. One of the best ways to ensure that you are doing what you need to do to find a job is to develop a schedule made up of weekly and daily tasks outlined below:

Weekly tasks

Emails, letters, and thank you notes

Phone calls

Meetings

Networking

Check printed want ads

Respond immediately

Back up data

Review marketing materials

Review job search plan

Make cold calls/send unsolicited résumé

Update weekly calendar