How To Find a Job
You might have a job right now that you love. Or you might have one that you hate. Worse still you might not even have one and really need one. Either way the following is going to help you immensely. By the end of the year its very likely that unemployment will be at 10%…Lets get started.
Get experience. Hiring managers are very wary and averse to hiring individals without relevant experience. If the position you want is a little out of your reach, its up to you to take control and get some experience. Work a side job, freelance or even volunteer: do what it takes.
Be realistic. You are not going to come with a background in catering and become a NASA scientist. At least not without a complete revamp in your academic skills and experience.
Immerse yourself. Going into a new career is daunting and if you don’t know the issues and work to be done it will be completely apparant in the interview. You should live and breathe the ins and outs of the position you are seeking. And I don’t mean look over the website of the company the night before. In fact, if this is the first time you have been to the site, or even heard of it, you should reconsider what you are about to do. Not to discourage you but just to emphasize the importance of research.
Dress sharp. Believe it or not, this is a huge factor. Again, this is not something to take lightly the night before. You need to make a first impression while at the same time you display your confidence and comfort. By the same token be sure that the caliber of the position meets the caliber of how you look. (Guys: Navy blue suit on the 2nd interview by the way.) Don’t be flashy trying to stand out but have enough to be remembered. There are some positions in the IT world that if you show up in anything OTHER than smartassed Star Wars shirt of Yoda giving the middle finger, you’re not gettin’ the job.
Networking. With the employment in the gutters the way it is, this might be the most important tool you have. Using services like LinkedIn and Business Elite are great but you have to keep up with them devoutly. It doesn’t do you any good to join the day you want to change employment. Tap in to your friends and family as well.
Networking might be the most powerful tool in getting your resume in front of someone looking to hire.
Right your resume. Another important tip is to work on your resume. Not just once but all the time. Theres nothing wrong with keeping it handy in digital form and updating it as time goes by. When it comes time to polish it up, you will have a wealth of information, maybe even too much, but thats a nice problem to have. Here is my quick list of do’s and don’ts:
DO make it original. I had 35 employees under me at my last job and could post a “cookie-cutter” resume a mile away. My first reaction? Toss it. The lack of effort was obvious and I knew the next one HAD to be a better option.
DON’T fill it with EVERYTHING. Don’t put every job on there from the time you propped up a lemonade stand as a kid. Include relevant skills.
DO get professional help if needed. I think its well worth the money if you are not able to access someone with some ability in resume writing. If its the difference between getting a job you want and not, go for it. Money well spent.
DON’T lie. Or exxagerate. Or embellish. Hiring managers know what it means when you use cliche terms…your bullshitting. Take a look at the following:
- Highly effective team player* who can build consensus* among colleagues in different departments in developing win-win* solutions.
- Task-oriented* manager in a high-performing* division of a Fortune 1000 company who likes to think outside the box*.
- Effective, hard-working sales representative who can proactively* gauge the pain points of customers in several vertical markets*, ensuring that they get the deliverables* they need, when they need them.
Its verbal puke and you don’t know what it means and theres no reason to take you seriously. Keep it out of the interview too.
DO type your application if you can. Even the nicest handwriting can’t compete with digital font. Get in touch with your nearest IT guy and figure it out.
DON’T blast your resume across the entire internet. Someone hiring is going to check a few more watering holes than you think, don’t make it seem like you’re a spammer.
DO consider making a website with your credentials. Don’t go over the top but this might be a way to be somewhat creative. I would recommend a simple one pager with a few links to get in touch with you through a secondary email account. Be wary of putting your phone number on there. Again, this might also be a good time to invest in some tech help if you are not as savvy as you would like to be. I have heard of some pretty incredible results by people creating sites (even blogs) along the lines of www.twittershouldhireme.com. Its ballsy but can be effective.
DON’T write just one cover letter. These need to be tailored to the specific company you interview for. Again, this is completely obvious when you do a mail merge.
DO follow up with Thank You letters. As inconceivable as it might seem, there are interviewers that will NOT consider an applicant unless they send a thank you letter. Personally I don’t think its a deal breaker but it can’t hurt. I wish I could tell a few stories about this where I am now but I can’t.
DON’T put all your eggs in one basket. Just because you met with a head hunter doesn’t mean that you can stop looking. In fact, I might even recommend that they be a last resort. Many will only forward on contract work (not all will have a pull time position at the end of the contract), temping (might not be a bad avenue), and might even take a cut of your salary as a condition of you getting hired. Be cautious.
DO give MYM Jobs a look through…its growing daily!
If you are between jobs for whatever reason, make finding a new job your highest priority but try and get part time work anyway even if its not in your top choice field. This might cause some disagreement but you DO need to have some income. Stay focused and remember theres no reason to settle if you are working wage somewhere if another job comes along.
What are the best bets for employment during a recession? You’ll have to tune in later for that one 
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