The 10 Most
Effective Ways to Find a Job in the U.S.
1) Be patient!
According to Richard Bolles in “What Color is Your
Parachute”, the average job search averages 2-6 months.•Get
ready for 6 months of hard work, rejection, insecurity, and maybe even
depression. Keep calm and
remind yourself that if you keep trying hard, you will eventually get the
job you want.
2) Discipline yourself!
Job hunting is a job in itself. The average job hunter in America only
spends about 5 hours a week looking for a job. Treat job hunting like a
serious job in itself and give it your full work discipline. Carefully
plan out how you will use your time and stick to your schedule.
3) Don't wait for the job to come to you
-- GO GET IT!
Research has shown that answering newspaper ads, using agencies, using
school recruiting offices, sending resumes are some of the least effective
ways to get a job. Going to a company and talking to people (especially
the boss) is one of the most effective ways to get a job.
4) Pack your schedule!
The average job hunter only visits a few companies per week. The average
job hunter may visit 10 – 70 companies before getting a job. It’s a
numbers game: the more people you see, the sooner you will get the job you
want.
5) Where's the growth?
Knowing the job market means knowing who is hiring. Often large companies hire in huge bursts of
expansion
(and downsize the same way as well). Small companies hire smaller numbers, but over
95%
of all companies in America are small.
6) Network,
Network, Network!
Let the world know that you are available
for work. Discuss with family, friends, teachers, neighbors, lovers,
strangers,… everyone! Don’t ask people for jobs directly; ask for
their help and advice. Build a
network digitally as well as verbally and use email, fax, and Web sites to
help connect you to your “helpers”.
7)
Visit the Institutions!
Extend your network to the larger
society. Visit your old school, meet with the president and deans if you
can, talk with your teachers, and get advise from your counselors and
advisors. Stop by City Hall, the Library, the Post Office, even the local
Fire Department if you can. All
these social institutions see it as their job to help society and to do
all they can to network with you.
8)
Hit the Books, Again!
Keep your professional skills sharp while
job hunting. Attend professional conferences, seminars, lectures, and
groups. Network with your
peers! Take part in professional organizations and especially online
discussion groups. Develop a portfolio of your best work for all the
interviews you will receive from your job hunting efforts.
9)
Be Flexible about What Job You Will Take!
Keep this in mind. Those people who are
more flexible about the job they will take will increase their chances of
getting a job. Often a job is not exactly what you are looking for,
but it might still be a very good job for you for other reasons.
Perhaps you may gain a great deal of valuable work experience from this
job. Perhaps it will allow you to network with other
professionals. Perhaps it will give you more opportunities to learn
and grow within this company. Be flexible about what you will take,
and you may find more opportunities within that job.
10)
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket.
Be diverse. Be a
“Jack-of-all-trades”. Education is a way of life. If you need to
go back to school for a certificate or degree that will open the door to
the career you really want, then you might want to consider that.
Keep your career plans flexible so that you have a chance to grow in
several directions and not in just one.
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Hot
Links
ResumeResources
A very good site for job hunting articles and
advice.
Stepstohunting
A 10 step overview of job hunting.
Jobmarkets
Here's a good source for job market research.
MinorityProfessional
Lots of resources available here.
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