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
                                         
Daily tasks
                        Tasks to be completed TODAY
Maintain your personal appearance
Respond immediately to any opportunities
                        Check email several times a day
                        Check internet job search sites
Check job postings on target company websites
Check for messages several times a day
                        Do something fun or personal
Spend an hour a day reading articles/books on job searching
Library
                        Internet
                        Workforce or Job Service
                        Staffing Agencies
                        Community Colleges


Other articles that may be of interest:

Oct 23, 2012
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. This path is not for the lazy! It requires hard and consistent work in identifying ...
Aug 30, 2012
We've picked out 15 of the most helpful certificates to have in today's job market, from health care to IT, and even construction. Read on to learn about some of the very best certificates you can earn for finding a job today.
Oct 26, 2012
#Job Search #Tip DON'T GIVE UP http://ow.ly/eJa10 Sometimes it is hard to know if we are headed in the right direction, especially if we lose site of our goal. ... #Job Tip Tap into the Hidden Job Market http://ow.ly/eHfrD ...
May 07, 2012
If you are looking for work you, no doubt, have heard of THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET. You may have even heard TOO MUCH of it. I know in working with my clients in Delaware and Maryland, I include the Hidden Job Market in ...
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