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Job Hunting Basics

  1. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and your ultimate success in finding the right job. You were hired into your last position because you offered the best match of your skills for those needed.

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  2. DEDICATE YOURSELF TO THE SEARCH – It may take only a week or it may take a few months. Plan for a longer search than you expect to help you stay realistic and avoid disappointment.

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  3. INVEST YOUR TIME – At least ten hours per week will yield contacts, interviews and offers.

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  4. FOCUS ON GROWING COMPANIES –Target firms that are growing.

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  5. SEE MANY EMPLOYERS – The average job hunter sees six per month. Try to see six per week.

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  6. VISIT THE PLACES YOU WANT TO WORK – Try to arrange interviews with those who can hire you. Seeing the place firsthand will help you decide whether you really want to work there.

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  7.  EXPLORE ALL OPTIONS – Sell your specific experience for a job that exactly fits, but prepare also to apply your skills to something outside your field. Almost all skills are transferable, so be flexible.

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  8. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK – The most successful of newspaper ads, blind resumes and recruiters cannot match the effectiveness of using friends, professional affiliations, business associates and relatives in helping you get in the door of your target companies. But be specific and tell them in detail what you want to do in a job.

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  9. EXPLORE ALL AVENUES – Leave no stone unturned. Resumes, letters, interviews, ads, recruiters, even your college placement office should be tapped in a comprehensive approach.

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  10.  KNOW THYSELF – Socrates’ famous words are sound advice in your search for a job that matches what you have to offer. Ask yourself these questions:

     - What skills do I most enjoy using? These tend to be your strongest skills.
    - Where do I want to use them? Find the field or environment with the job that needs what you do best.