WHAT TO KNOW
Finding a job is hard work. It is a job in itself. You should treat it just like a job, and use every resource available, including friends, acquaintances, relatives, teachers and professors. When you speak with these contacts, ask them about where they work.
Job Search Methods
Check with:
• Your transition office
• State Employment Services
• Private employment agencies
• Internet
• School placement offices
• Civil Service Administration (for testing)
• Union hiring hall
• Chambers of commerce
• Employers
Answer ads in:
• Local, state, national newspapers
• Professional or trade journals
Apply directly:
• Job fairs
• Private Industry Council
• Employers
Contact local organizations
Hidden Job Market
The hidden job market simply refers to the fact that most jobs are not advertised. Eighty percent of all positions are filled without employer advertising. These positions are filled by, or created for, candidates who come to an employer’s attention through recommendations from employees, referrals from trusted associates, recruiters, or direct contact with the candidate. Effective networking—using your contacts to connect with the employer’s contacts—is the key to the hidden job market. You need to become skilled at finding the hidden job market in order to have access to as many jobs as possible. Employers are constantly on the lookout for suitable candidates to replace departing, retiring, or inefficient workers; to work on new projects or to add expertise in a particular area. Employers often have an immediate need to fill a position (someone resigns, a contract is awarded, etc.). Employers review resumes on hand or interview a prospective employee before advertising. Making these connections requires diligence and hard work.
People who wait for all conditions to be perfect before acting, never act.
The Problem: Most job-seekers spend their time checking and responding to want ads, yet employees hire the least number of people through want ads.
The Solution: Identify companies you want to work for, try to get informational interviews, ask for a job, leave a resume, fill out the job application, check back periodically. Show enthusiasm but do not be a pest.
Networking
Getting people involved in your search is called networking. It means using personal contacts to get information about job leads and contacts. Regardless of the type of job you are looking for, building a network will help you tap into the hidden job market. You never know where the best job lead will come from. The figure below will help you to consider those people you should involve in your effort to find work.
Start building your network by making a list of all the people you know. Do not limit the list to people who know the work you do. The people on this list are your primary contacts. They do not have to be people who know about possible job leads, they just might be people who know other people that have knowledge of job leads, occupational information, specific employer contacts, etc.
Before you begin contacting the people on your list, decide what type of information you want from the contact.
You may be looking for:
• information about a particular company, industry or line of work;
• a referral to someone who might be able to help you; or
• advice on conducting your job search.
In many cases, you will want to ask to set up a brief meeting with the person. It is not a job interview. . . but it may bring you a job lead. Always have plenty of resumes available.
If you feel awkward or embarrassed contacting people to ask for something, remember:
• most people like helping other people;
• many people have been in your shoes and remember how hard it was; and
• some people will have a job opening, or know of one, and feel that fatebrought you to them!
Begin your networking by calling the people on your list you can talk to most easily and work up to making the calls that are more stressful. You may have to force yourself to make the first few calls, but it does get easier with each call!
