Where the Jobs Are
A good job search plan is like a diversified portfolio: You need to have lots of different
strategies and techniques to identify, create, and land a position. The following overview
will help you understand the plethora of options available to you.
1. Answering help-wanted ads in local newspapers, professional association
newsletters, and trade or professional journals: Although this strategy
has limited effectiveness (more than 80 percent of job openings are never advertised),
you don’t want to overlook the obvious.
2. Contacting employment agencies and placement services: The good
news about employment agencies and placement services is that they do have job
positions that they are trying to fill. But their services come with a possible buyerbeware
sign. Make sure that you work with a firm that has a good reputation and
that you understand the terms of their contract before you sign any agreement with
them.
3. Connecting with executive recruiters, who work the high end of the
job market: Stated differently, executive recruiters work with professionals and
mid- to senior-level management executives who are interested in landing new jobs.
4. Registering with database placement services/networks: These services
are relative newcomers to the employment market. They offer you the option to post
your resume online or send it into a national service, and employers then pay to
review your resume. While they have the advantage of convenience, they have the
disadvantage of a tight job market where employers are less likely to pay to review
applicant resumes.
5. Joining professional associations: Associations can have several potential benefits
available to their job-hunting members, including membership directories (for
networking purposes), networking meetings, and job banks or listings.
6. Enlisting the assistance of career planning and placement services:
Students and alumni of many colleges and universities can avail themselves of job
and career fairs, on-campus interviews, and alumni directories.
7. Sending out targeted mailings to organizations and employers of interest
in specific fields, industries, and geographic areas: This strategy
works most effectively when you target a specific person by name rather than relying
on mass mailings or cold calls.
8. Applying directly to employers: You can find job openings through company
Web sites or human resources offices.
9. Developing a list of referrals through networking sources and conducting
informational or exploratory interviews: Informational interviews can
help you learn more about the employer and its needs.
10. Parlaying part-time, temporary, and contract positions into permanent
full-time opportunities: Companies sometimes use temp-to-hire and other such
positions to employ workers on a trial basis. These positions are a good way to see
if the company is a good fit for you as well.
11. Employing yourself: If you can’t find the job of your dreams, you can work on
creating that job for yourself through creative self-employment.
