Managing an Effective Job Search

• Helpful Job Search Hints
• Where Are You Going
• Four Methods for Contacting Employers
• Employer Contact Chart
• Job Offer Evaluation

INTRODUCTION

You are about to embark on an exciting and challenging experience: finding your first professional position. The purpose of this document is to describe a variety of methods to approaching your job search, and structuring those approaches in a way that will help you manage them effectively.

There are four basic steps in approaching the job search. The first is to identify the type of position or positions that you are interested in, and the skills and background needed for that type of position. Related to this is identifying the kinds of organizations and location of the position you will be seeking (exercise 1, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?). The second step is to develop your support materials, which consist of a resume, a cover letter, and placement file (letters of recommendation). There are separate handouts and materials that take care of this step. Third, you will want to learn how to manage an effective job search. Fourth, and very critical to the job search process, is being able to interview effectively. Many times it is not necessarily the graduate with the highest grade point or the most relevant experience who obtains a position, but how effectively he or she interviews.

HELPFUL JOB SEARCH HINTS

As you begin your job search, you will want to determine what factors will help as well as hinder you as you look for work. Becoming aware of these factors will help you use the positive resources as well as eliminate or at least minimize the negative ones. Therefore, take a sheet of paper, draw a line down the center and identify personal traits, skills, and friends or resources that you can call upon during your job search on the left side of the paper. For example, you could describe the following qualities as helpful: family support, high motivation to find a job, resources in Career Services, and others. After you have identified these, on the right side of the paper, identify what you will do with each of these areas. For example, you may want to discuss with your family what kinds of work you will be looking for. Regarding your high motivation levels, you may want to think about how you can keep your motivation high, without burning out. Next, make a list on a sheet of paper of factors that may hinder you looking for work. For example, indicate that you tend to procrastinate, or that it's going to be hard for you to initiate contacts with strangers. Then, on the other side of the piece of paper, identify how you can effectively deal with these potential shortcomings.

As you look for employment, it wil probably be helpful for you either to be in school full-time or to be working in some kind of an interim job. If you are looking for a job full-time, without working, it may be more difficult to manage your time, and your financial resources might run out. You will also not be under as much stress to take the first job that is offered to you if you aren't interested in it.

Another important point as you look for work is to remember that there are very few entry level job openings that appear in the newspaper. Overall, 75-80% of the jobs that exist at any one time in any area are not going to be advertised in the newspaper. Therefore, you will not want to rely on this as a primary method of looking for work.

Finally, as you look for work, try and integrate the various approaches and job search strategies into your life style so that you won't get burned out early in the job search.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

PRIORITY     IMPORTANT ISSUES TO CONSIDER

____         What responsibilities?

____         Which knowledge and skills?

____         In what kind of organization?

____         With what kinds of colleagues?

____         With what type of manager?

____         Job location-commuting and 
             travel requirements?

____         What must compensation package include?

____         Most important non-tangible benefits?

JOB SEARCH GOAL:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

      

1. Personal Contacts

Every day, you meet new people or come in contact with old acquaintances and friends. The purpose of utilizing personal contacts in your job search is two-fold. First, as you are talking with different people throughout the day and week, casually bring up in the flow of conversation your current situation (e.g. exploring or looking for work in a particular type of area or areas) and inquire whether they know of any opportunities. If they do not know of any opportunities, the second thing you will want to do is then ask them if they know of anyone who might. Possibly either a relative or a friend of their's might be in a capacity to assist you. If they do have a name, make sure you ask them for the correct spelling of the name and if they know the title of the person working at the organization. Then ask your contact if it's alright for you to use their name in contacting the person by letter.

It is important when you use personal contacts that you do not use them as ends in and of themselves. Be sure that you do not focus exclusively on your current employment situation and how you are interested in having them help you out. Rather, bring up your current employment situation in the flow of conversation so that they do not feel that you are using them.

Mr. Richard Lathrop, Director of the National Center for Job Market Studies in Washington, D.C., indicates that one person in two, or 50% of all job seekers find employment through personal contacts. Many times employers will rely on solid referrals from their acquaintances for openings within their organization. Consequently, this approach to looking for work cannot be understated. Establish a different personal contact at least once a day with either a new individual or someone you know. All it takes is literally a matter of seconds to bring it up in the flow of conversation, and the results could be significant. Take the initiative and do not hesitate.

A "cold turkey" contact is where you send a cover letter and resume to an employer applying for a position that you know is open, or applying for one that is not. In order to use this method effectively, it is helpful for you to be aware of the resources that give you contact information. A partial list of the resources available through Career Services include:
Job Bank books
Peterson's Job Opportunities books
Directory of Public Schools in the U.S.
Christian Service, Non-Profit, Healthcare and Seminary files
Corporate files and binders
Job Choices, an annual publication
Christian Schools International Directory
Private School Directory


Mr. Richard Lathrop indicates that one person in four, or 25% of job seekers obtain employment through this method. If a particular employer cannot get a good candidate through personal contacts, one of the next steps they use is to consult the resumes that they have been sent. Therefore, this is another effective method for looking for work. Combining these first two methods, 75% of all job seekers find work. You may want to consider sending out two to three letters a week like this over the length of your job search process.

The purpose of a career information interview is for you to gain specific information about a particular career area that you might have an interest in pursuing as work. The purpose is not to have an employment interview. Rather, your intent is to contact a local professional who is currently employed in an occupational area in which you have an interest, and request a brief meeting (20 minutes to 30 minutes) in which you can ask him/her questions about his/ her professional area.

The benefits of conducting career information interviews are threefold. First, you gain valuable information and knowledge about a particular career area for which you may later interview. Second, you gain more confidence in your own ability to be able to pursue that type of work based on this new knowledge. Third, you are establishing more personal contacts. After your appointment with this professional, you will want to send a follow-up thank-you note expressing your appreciation for the time that the person has spent with you.

When conducting a career information interview you will want to be prompt, dressed professionally, and have prepared insightful questions so that you can make the most positive impression possible. If this person is quite impressed with you, and if they have a current opening, it might lead to either a job interview or offer. But, this is not the intent of this type of interview.

The first three methods discussed stress your active approach to looking for work. You are the one who is out establishing personal contacts, writing letters to employers, and gaining valuable information about career areas that you might want to pursue. A majority of people employed have found it through these methods. The fourth approach is an approach not to be depended upon because typically you do not have control over these results. This fourth approach, called the "Passive Approach" is a method in which you rely on openings that already exist and that are published in sources like wanted ads in a newspaper, placement bulletins published by colleges and universities, employment agencies, as well as professional publications which also sometimes list job openings. You will by all means want to use these resources, but the key is not to depend on only this approach. Typically only 15% of the jobs that exist ever appear through these avenues. When they do appear, there is significant competition for the position, because many other people will apply also.