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HOW TO FIND EMPLOYERS WHO NEED YOU

You have come a long way. You have graduated, or are near to it, and now begins the next phase of your career journey. It’s time to find that job that is just right for you!

You might find that job through your present contacts. But that is only half of your job search. The other half is to actively contact employers who may never know you exist—until you tell them.

Know where and how to Look

Did you know that 75% of all employers don’t advertise at all? They hire people they already know, who find out about the jobs through word of mouth, or who simply happen to be at the right place at the right time. This is sometimes just luck, but you can learn ways to increase your luck.

Did you know that fewer than 15% of all job seekers find their jobs in the newspaper want ads? Let’s take a quick look at traditional job search methods.

Traditional Job Search Methods

Sunday NewspaperHelp Wanted Ads

Everyone who reads the paper knows about these openings, so competition for these jobs is fierce. But some people do get jobs this way, so go ahead and apply. Just be sure to use most of your time on more effective methods. By the way, you can access want ads from major newspapers on line.

The State Employment Service (Georgia Department of Labor) – offers free job leads. Only about 5% of job seekers find their jobs here, but it is still worth checking out. If you ask for the same counselor, you might impress them to remember you and give you extra assistance. All federal contractors must list their jobs with them, so you may find some good technical job leads. This is also available on line.

Posting your resume on line

Youcan post your resume in hundreds of databases on line in the hope that you will be discovered by a great employer and offered your dream job. It is highly unlikely that this will happen. That is not to say that posting your resume is not worth the effort; just don’t put all your hope on this one task. Posting an on-line resume has an

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2 Use most of your time on line to visit employer’s websites and apply directly there, to check out internet job lead banks such as Career Builder, read newspaper classifieds, and look at websites of organizations. Try to find a way to contact the employer by phone or email to follow up on your on line applications.

Staffing Agencies - One out of 20 job seekers find a job using an agency, which means that 95% don’t. Most of the agencies will call employers directly asking if they have any openings, something you can do yourself. And they do charge a fee, either to you or to your employer. But sometimes a staffing agency can provide you with temporary work in your field while you look for a permanent position.

Career Fairs

In a city,everyone seems to be holding career fairs. Such an event can result in a face-to-face meeting with the people who hire. If an exhibitor is not hiring today, he may still be taking resumes for upcoming openings. Or they may tell you to go on line to apply, but at least you have met someone face to face. Career fairs held on campus are especially productive for new graduates with little or no experience.

Think broadly about the possibilities. For example, IT persons are needed in almost every business; from hospitals to manufacturing. Construction companies need accounting employees and may also need sales people.

Be sure that your resume and appearance are professional. You never know who you may find yourself talking with at a career fair. Always collect business cards to use for following up.

Informal Job Search Methods

Two thirds of all people get their jobs using informal methods. These jobs are often not advertised and are part of the “hidden” job market. How do you find them?

There are two basic informal job search methods: networking with people you know and making direct contact with employers. They are both based on the most important job search rule of all:

Don’t wait until the job is open!

Most jobs are filled by someone the employer meets before a job is formally “open.” So the trick is to meet people who can hire you before a job is available! Instead of saying “do you have any jobs open?” Say, “I realize you may not have any jobs open now, but I would still like to talk to you about the possibility of future openings” and also “May I leave a copy of my resume for future openings? Please feel free to pass it to anyone you know who may be interested.”

Develop a Network of Contacts

40% of all people found their jobs through a lead provided by a friend, a relative, or an acquaintance. Developing new contacts is called networking, and here is how it works:

Make lists of people you know. Develop a list of anyone you are friendly with, and then make a separate list for all your relatives. These two lists alone often add up to 25 to 100 people or more. Then think of other groups of people with whom you have something in common, like people you used to work with; people who went to your school; people in your social or sports groups; members

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of your professional association; former employers; members of your religious group. You may not know any of these people personally, but most will help you if you ask them.

Contact them in a systematic way. Each of these people is a contact for you. Obviously, some lists and some people on the lists will be more helpful than others, but almost any one of them potentially could help you find a job lead.

Present yourself well. Start with your friends and relatives. Call them up and tell them you are looking for a job and need their help. Be as clear as possible about what you are looking or and what skills and qualifications you have.

Ask them for leads. It is possible that they will know of a job opening just right for you. More likely, however, they will not, so here a re three questions you should ask.

Three Magic Networking Questions:

1. “Do you know of any openings for a person with my skills?” If the answer is no, then ask:

2. “Do you know of someone else who might know of such an opening?” If they do, get that name and ask for another one. If they don’t, then ask: 3. “Do you know of anyone who might know of someone else who might?”

Another way to ask this is. “Do you know someone who knows lots of people?” If all else fails, this will usually get you a name.

Contact these referrals and ask them the same questions. For each original contact, you can extend your network of acquaintances by hundreds of people. Eventually one of these people will hire you – or refer you to someone who will!

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Contact Employers Directly

It takes more courage, but contacting an employer directly is a very effective job search technique. Identify organizations that could use a person with your skills. Then call the organizations listed and ask to speak to the person who is most likely to hire you.

You can also just walk in and ask to speak to the person in charge. This is particularly effective in small businesses, but it works surprisingly well in larger ones, too. Remember, you want an interview, even if there are no openings now. If your timing is inconvenient, ask for a better time to come back.

Come companies only accept applications online. You can still try to reach the HR

department or the department described in the job and let them know you have applied online and want to be check if you need to do anything else. If you reach an answering machine, leave a pleasant message.

Look for Alternate Job Titles

Different companies may use varying job titles for the type of week you are seeking. You may have the title, but an incomplete job description. To get the official details and alternate job titles, us the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, available on line at

http://www.occupationalinfo.org/dot_e3.html

Do searches on line – simply search the title and city – such as “Welder Savannah” and see what jobs may show up. Search on all the different job titles you can think of.

Where the Jobs Are

About two thirds of all new jobs are created by small businesses. While the largest

corporations have reduced the number of employees, small businesses have been creating as many as 80% of the new jobs. There are many opportunities to obtain training and advance in smaller organizations, too.

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Spend at least Twenty-five Hours a Week

The average job seeker spends about five hours weekly actually looking for work and is unemployed an average of three or more months. You can definitely improve your chances by spending more time on your job search. Time management is the key.

Decide how many hours per week you plan to look for a job. The most important thing is to decide how many hours you can commit to your job search and stay with it.

Decide on which days you will look for work. How many hours will you look on each day? At what time will you begin and end your job search on each of these days? Look at the sample job search schedule that follows to see how one person planned her time. Create your own schedule.

Days Job Search Schedule

Number of Hours Monday 8 am – Noon, 1-4pm 7 Tuesday 8 am - Noon 4 Wednesday 8 am – Noon, 1-4 pm 7 Thursday 8 am - Noon 4 Friday 8 am- 11 am 3 Saturday Sunday

Total Hours per Week 25

Schedule how to spend your time each day. This is very important since most job seekers find it hard to stay productive each day. You already know which job search methods are most effective and you should plan on spending more of your time using these methods. The following sample daily schedule will give you ideas for your own schedule. Sample Daily Schedule

7:00-8:00 am Get up, shower, dress, and eat breakfast

8:00-8:15 Organize work space, review schedule for interviews or follow-ups, update schedule 8:15-9:00 Review old leads for follow-up develop new leads (using networking lists, want ads, etc. 9:00-10:00 Make phone calls set interviews

10:00 – 10:15 Take a Break!

10:15 -11:00 Make more phone calls

11:00 -12:00 pm Make more follow up calls as needed 12:00 – 1:00 Lunch Break

1:00 – 3:00 Go on interviews, make cold contacts in the field

3:00 – 5:00 Research on-line for openings, apply on employer websites.

Remember, the internet cannot be your only resource for your job search!

You must use all resources, contacts, and services available to you for the most effective and efficient search for employment. Continue to pick up the telephone and call people, attend meetings, and use the reference books in your local library. There are four activities – researching, reviewing job leads, networking, and preparing and tailoring your resume, which you should be managing.

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6 Limit your time online to one-quarter (25 %) of the total time you dedicate to your job search….unless you are in the Computer Science field. In that case move it up to one half (50%) of your time.

Get one Interview a Day

The average job seeker gets about five interviews a month, fewer that two interviews a week. Yet many job seekers using correct techniques find it easy to get an interview per day. To do this you must first re-define what an interview is.

An interview is face to face contact or phone conversation with anyone who has the authority to hire or supervise a person with your skills. They may or may not have a job opening at the time you interview with them.

With this definition, it is much easier to get interviews. You can now interview with all kinds of potential employers, not just those who have a job opening. You may be able to get two interviews with just an hour of calls. Others just drop in on potential employers and ask for an unscheduled interview – and they get them. Not always, of course, but often enough. Getting an interview a day equals 5 a week – over 20 a month. That’s 400% more than the average job seeker gets. Who do you think will get a job offer sooner?

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Should I apply if I don’t meet the qualifications? 

by Peter Vogt 

MonsterTRAK Career Coach 

 

You’ve discovered an exciting internship or entry‐level job and would like to apply. But 

should you bother, even if you don’t have exactly what the ad outlines? With few 

exceptions, send your resume anyway. Here’s why: 

A Listing Describes the Perfect Candidate 

When employers write job ads, they list the qualifications of the ideal person for the job. They 

know ‐‐ and accept ‐‐ that they probably won’t actually find someone who meets every 

criterion, but they still ask for that person, just in case. 

If you happen to be the perfect candidate for the job, great. But in the much more realistic case 

that you’re a decent but not ideal candidate, you still may be the best applicant to emerge. 

This brings us to the second reason you should apply. 

This Test Is Graded on a Curve 

Thanks to years of education, you’ve probably become quite accustomed to being graded on a 

percentage basis. If you earn 90 percent of the points in a course, you get an A; if you earn 80 

percent, you get a B; and so on.  

On the other hand, your job search is graded on a curve. How you stack up in an employer’s 

eyes is based on how you compare to the other applicants. 

So let’s say an employer thinks you’re a B‐level candidate and concludes that all the rest of the 

applicants are C‐level or worse. If this were a class, all you’d be able to say is, "I got a B." But in 

this competition, you can say, "I got the job!" 

Still not convinced? Don’t forget the most important reason to try for the job. 

If You Try, You Have a Chance 

If you decide not to apply for the job, you will have made the employer’s decision, and the 

negative consequences will be certain. On the other hand, if you at least try for the job, you 

force the employer to consider you (if only briefly) and give you the thumbs up or down. 

Granted, you have to use your head in all of this. Let’s face it: Your degree and summer 

internship experience aren’t going to remotely qualify you to be CEO of Company X and its 

40,000 employees worldwide.   

     

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8 But if you meet some of the qualifications highlighted in the job listing or at least come close, 

force the employer to disqualify you if he must. Don’t disqualify yourself. 

Follow Up the Right Way

by Peter VogtMonsterTRAK Career Coach

You've applied online for a job you really want. But you can't help wondering what your chances are against other applicants or whether your materials have disappeared into cyberspace. A follow-up phone call or email to the employer might help you see where you stand. But is that really a good idea? It depends.

"We recently hired a student who wrote a lovely email detailing his background and why he wanted to get his work-experience requirement through working with our firm," says Julia McKinley, national recruitment for Grant Thornton LLP in Canada. "When he called to follow up, I was impressed. He had done his research on the firm and had concrete reasons why he wanted to gain experience with us. So even though we had no budget and no opening, we hired him."

But there's another side to this story: The follow-up call that impresses one hiring manager may just annoy another.

"I think that following up on a resume sent through the mail was more accepted, even if it was to make sure that the right person received the resume," says Bonita Martin of Western & Southern Financial Group. "But now that the Internet provides recruiters with hundreds of people sending resumes for positions, and each person may or may not meet the qualifications for the position, I prefer that candidates not follow up on an initial resume or reply to an advertisement."

It's ultimately your decision as to whether you should follow up with employers. But if you decide to do so, keep these key suggestions in mind.

How You Follow Up Matters

Most people who follow up with employers "call and say, ‘I haven't heard anything,'" says Al Pollard, a recruiter for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. "My thought is, ‘you won't hear anything with that attitude.'"

Instead, let the person you're dealing with know "you sent a resume for the position of ______, and that you want to make sure your resume was received and check on when people might be contacted for interviews," says Linda Wyatt, director of the career center at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

No One Likes a Stalker

If you do follow up, particularly by phone, make "not 10 phone calls, mind you, just one or, at most, two," says Anderson.

Also, remember that it's best to wait at least a few days before following up. And employers who include "no phone calls, please" in their job listings do so for a reason.

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Email Is a Viable Option

Some employers hate getting follow-up phone calls but don't mind such emails. "It really is just a matter of convenience and time management," says Martin. "I'm able to print a thank-you or follow-up email and include it with a resume/candidate file and quickly reply to a candidate that the recruiting and selection process may take up to two months."

A Simple Script Comes in Handy

If a follow-up phone call sounds intimidating, use a brief script. Here's an example:

This is ______ calling. A few days ago I applied for the ______ position in your company's ______ department/division. I'm calling to make sure you received my resume and to reiterate my interest in the position.

Be sure to practice your words until they sound unscripted before you pick up the phone. Brief Is Best- Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of an unexpected 20-minute phone call or a four-page email. So keep your follow-up concise. You don't need many words to make a strong impression that will lead to an interview and hopefully, the job itself.

Repeat all the steps as necessary –

Keep up your search until you land the job you

want. Yes, these are tough times for the job seeker, but there are jobs open and employers are hiring. It does take more work and making a greater number of applications than in years past to get the job, but you now know WHAT to do and HOW to do it, SO KEEP ON DOING IT until hired and you will be successful.

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Advice from Dear Abby

DEAR ABBY: I know you get many letters from people who are unemployed, depressed and don't know how to climb out of the funk. I was laid off from my management position three weeks after giving birth to my first child. Talk about depressing.

After several months of recovering from a difficult birth, I contacted my local SPCA and began volunteering. Not only do I help by feeding and cleaning the kitties, but I am using my

professional skills to help them with photography, graphic design and fundraising. I'm still looking for work and getting occasional interviews. And in those interviews, potential employers always seem impressed with my volunteer work.

I'm writing to encourage anyone who is unemployed to find charitable organizations to work with. Offer your professional skills. It is something to get up for and do during the day. It also looks good on your resume and makes you feel great. –

UNPAID FOR NOW, BUT HAPPY IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR HAPPY: That's a valuable suggestion and thank you for it. At this point, 13.9 million Americans are unemployed. Many suffer from depression because, through no fault of their own, they have been unable to find jobs. When people feel embarrassed, frustrated and angry, they tend to isolate themselves, which doesn't help and can be unhealthy.

The more connections you make, the greater your chances for finding permanent employment, because in the final analysis it's all about people and relationships. I wish you luck in your job search. Whoever hires you will be lucky to have you.

 

More Employers Finding Reasons Not to Hire

Candidates on Social Media

Press release from the issuing company

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

While your social media profile can be a great asset in your job search, a new CareerBuilder study shows it can also end up costing you the job. More than two in five (43 percent) hiring managers who currently research candidates via social media said they have found information that has caused them not to hire a candidate, up 9 percentage points from last year.

The nationwide survey, which was conducted online by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder from February 11 to March 6, 2013, and included more than 2,100 hiring managers and human resource professionals, found that nearly two in five companies (39 percent) use social networking sites to

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Is social media helping or hurting job candidates?

Employers who took a candidate out of the running for a job after researching social media sites reported finding a variety of concerning content. Top mentions ranged from evidence of inappropriate behavior to information that contradicted their listed qualifications:

 Candidate posted provocative/inappropriate photos/info – 50 percent

 There was info about candidate drinking or using drugs – 48 percent

 Candidate bad mouthed previous employer – 33 percent

 Candidate had poor communication skills – 30 percent

 Candidate made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. – 28 percent

 Candidate lied about qualifications – 24 percent

At the same time, some employers also noted that they came across information on social media sites that made a candidate more attractive or solidified the decision to extend a job offer. One in five hiring managers (19 percent) said they found something that has caused them to hire a candidate – top mentions include:

 Candidate conveyed a professional image – 57 percent

 Got a good feel for candidate's personality – 50 percent

 Candidate was well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests – 50 percent

 Candidate's background information supported professional qualifications – 49 percent

 Candidate was creative – 46 percent

 Great communication skills – 43 percent

 Other people posted great references about the candidate – 38 percent "

Employers are using all the tools available to them to assure they make the correct hiring decision, and the use of social media continues to grow," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "For job seekers it is essential to be aware of what information they're making available to employers, and to manage their online image. At the same time, hiring managers and human

resources departments must carefully consider how to use information obtained from social media and whether it is relevant to a candidate's qualifications."

What are hiring managers looking for on social media?

The research suggests that hiring managers are using social media to get a glimpse at the candidate's behavior and personality outside of the interview, and are most interested in professional presentation and how the candidate would fit with the company culture.

To make sure your social media profile sends the right message, Haefner suggests:

Search Yourself - The easiest way for employers to research your online personality is a simple search on Google and other sites. Try it out for yourself so you know exactly what they'll see and remove any digital dirt you wouldn't want a potential boss to encounter. Some browsers may save information about you, so search from a public computer to be sure you're getting the right results.

Read Your Privacy Settings - Social media sites change their privacy settings often, and occasionally this leads to a change in your personal settings. It's good practice to check in on the privacy settings for all of your accounts regularly.

Showcase Your Talent - This is your opportunity to provide evidence that you are as exceptional as your resume says by posting awards and accolades you've received, volunteer activities, accomplishments you're excited about, etc. Employers often search social media to learn more about your qualifications or to see that you are well-rounded, so be sure to put that information front and center.

Keep Tabs - Just because you're being careful with what you put online doesn't mean your friends are necessarily so cautious. Pay attention to what others are posting on your profile and what you're tagged

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RECORD OF WORK SEARCH

Date Company

Contact Person Applying

for: Opening

Yes/No

Results/Actions/

Follow-up/ Log ins

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RECORD OF WORK SEARCH

Date Company

Contact Person Applying

for: Opening

Yes/No

Results/Actions/

Follow-up/ Log ins

References

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