Are You Not Finding A Job? Try This
Jun 12th, 2007 by Jane
As many people can tell you, looking for a job is a job in itself. Like anything, the more experience you have, the better your success. Your options are limited only by your education, experience, and business contacts. The reality is that it pays to know people (or to have people know you).
When searching for a job, it may be easier for you to ask your friends, family, and any contacts that you may have if they know of anything available that would be suitable for you. You never know, you might wind up getting picked up for a position that you would have had no idea was available otherwise.
Approximately 80% of the job openings available at any given time are not being advertised. Most, if not all, of these positions are filled via internal staff or personal contacts. Many of the higher paying jobs are filling this way. As a job seeker, it would be wise to make a list of people you know, and contact them for assistance in finding a job. If you don’t know a lot of people, you can try networking to achieve the results that you want.
Don’t know how or where to network? Try following these suggestions:
- Attend community meetings – Many people that attend these meets are actively involved in the community. The range of attendees can be extremely diverse, from stay-at-home-mom’s to CEO’s. Attending gets your name out there.
- Volunteer – Volunteering is great for the soul, and you will meet a lot of people. A lot of employers favor applicants with volunteer experience, as it shows a desire to work hard and maintain an ethical profile.
- Join clubs and associations – Many people join clubs in hopes of meeting other like minded individuals. Try getting to know people with similar interests, as they may lead you to positions or opportunities. Toastmasters is a popular public speaking organization that is open to anyone looking to improve their speaking style.
- Apply in person – The digital age has made applying for work online incredibly easy, and many people have forgotten the value of actually physically visiting the potential place of employment. Often, setting up a meeting with a manager or supervisor in the department relevant to your skill set is a great way to get them to notice you. After all, you came to them.
Lastly, don’t forget to polish your resume. But, whatever you do, do not lie on it. Your employer will find out, be it during the application process or later on down the line. Lying on your resume is grounds for dismissal, so make sure that any responsibilities that you list are legitimate and true.
Good luck, and don’t give up!
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Starting “at the bottom” can be a very good thing for a recent college grad who needs to get a foot in the door. Be careful, though, to only start at the bottom with an organization that can actually follow through on promoting you within. Otherwise you risk having to start at the bottom all over again at your next job.
I couldn’t agree with you more Angie! Being flexible to any working environment is something that can make you shine early in your career.
i think it is reasonable for a fresh student to ‘’start at bottom”,
as not many companies would hire you,
at least you have start the first step and earn a chance for yourself.
Recently we placed an ad for an event planner. We had almost 300 resumes emaied & faxed. We saw 20 possible candidates, all women ages 24 - 48 years old. With only 2 exceptions the candidates brought ‘drama’ to the 1st interview. “Lost, can’t find your office”, “Mom called to set up the interview, I’m not sure who I’m to see”, “Can’t find my car”, “I thought I had an interview today”, ‘Can I use your copier, I’m out of paper at home” etc. Then there was the grooming - Ladies I know you are nervous but for God’s sake keep your hands out of your hair OK. One lady had here hair up and down 3 times in the span of 45 min. It’s the real world out here. Get a clue OK.
hahah. I hear many of those same stories with students and their interviewing experiences. Hopefully they can learn a thing or two here.
As an HR person, I have to say that first impressions are lasting impressions. I work for a private golf club, and cannot tell you how many Mom’s are picking up and dropping off the applications for their kids, or the kids show up wearing shorts, flip flops and shirts that are WAY to small. You also get the people who show up with their friends to get an application.
When my son was filling out applications I made him wear dress clothes, have a pen, and a resume (yes it was very limited but it showed initiative). When showing up to fill out an application be prepared! When showing up for the interview, be prepared, know what day, time, where the place is, and whom you are meeting with. This may be your one chance to make that lasting impression.
Applying in person is very difficult right now - all the mid-big companies even dont want to talk with you on the phone and refer to the Career section of their website…
For a lot of places, it’s down to how much of a budget they have for new people each year. Most of the time, it never balances out and a small amount from any social class goes away or does alternative ideas like reversing the roles for instance.
The right move is do what you want and if the world notices it, you’ll be more surprised than world is if it happens..
Most of the time, most places that hire have limited budgets and each year, it doesn’t balance out most of the time and some disappear alltogether. Simple advice is do what you want and if the rest of the world notices it, you might actually get something in return, whatever it is.
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You are so right that employers are looking for qualities beyond education, and it can be summed up in one word: character. They have always looked for the attributes that would make for an effective “team player,” depending on their team’s makeup(s), but even moreso today, as a college education represents very little in and of itself (not even spelling skills), so they look for those critical factors: resourcefulness, problem solving, compassion and perservance–that sort of thing. They look for the key to the eventual potential, not the trigger from the past.
Which is why bioblogs are more effective in promoting creative character than traditional resumes.
I do agree that while looking for a job you must not give up. Keep trying, you will succed.