How to Get a New Job
by B. Dear
This article is meant to help you with finding a new job. My intent is
to pass on some of my experience in this area for those who might need
it. However, deciding your place of employment is an important decision
and shouldn't be made based solely on the information in this article.
This article is contains only basic information to get you started.
Whether you have just graduated from college, or just need to find a
better job, landing a good job can be difficult and time
consuming. It will take some careful planning and decision
regarding what type of job you really want to be doing.
Creating a career plan will be useful for your job search. Even if you
aren't really sure what you would like to do for the next 20 years,
writing out some thoughts will help you to organize a strategy. Even if
it isn't perfectly thought out, it will give you a good benchmark for
making some decisions . When sketching out you career plan, here are
some things to consider:
- You
will want to write down some things that you like to do (Hobbies, etc.)
- Write
down some things that you can currently can do, or have been trained to
do in the past
- Compare
the two lists above and brainstorm some ideas regarding what you would
like to do, but grounded with the reality of what you know how to do.
Write some of these ideas down.
- Decide
what your short term and longterm goals are. Where do you want to be in
5, 10, 15, 20 years?
- What
do you want to be doing?
- What
is is that you don't like about your current position?
- Do
you like technical work (getting down in the weeds) or do you like to
work more broadly (in less detail)?
- Do
you like to work with others, or alone?
- How
much money do you need to make?
- List
some jobs that you think might be require any of the things you listed
above.
Look through some of the notes you have jotted down and reflect a bit.
Then put it aside. By now you should have a general idea of what types
of jobs you may like and what types of positions you might be qualified
for.
Next, you will need to write or update your resume. At a minimum, your
resume should include your contact information (Name, Address,
Telephone Number), a summary of what you are seeking to do right now, a
chronological list (most current jobs first) of your past
work
experience, and list any significant training. Search the web for some
good examples.
Once your resume is complete, you will need to plan how to make time
for an interview with possible employers. If you are a student, you
probably will have sufficient time to set up interviews. If you are
currently working, you may need to take paid or unpaid leave from your
current position to interview. Another alternative is to schedule the
interview outside of your work hours. Plan on at least a few hours for
a face to face interview. Sometimes they may take even longer. I once
had an interview that lasted from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
When going to an interview, simply state that you have an appointment,
unless your current employer is the type that would is cool and will
understand. Notifying your employer about your intent to leave could
create a lot of problems, and is usually not recommended. I was once
denied a bonus that I would otherwise have been entitled to, had my
employer not learned that I was leaving the company. Needless to say,
you will need to spend some time thinking through your strategy before
making any moves.
After writing your resume, check it for errors. then recheck it. Have a
friend read it, check for errors and offer suggestions. Do this a few
more times. What we are shooting for here is a perfectly crafted
resume. Otherwise employers will throw it away. Really. Not kidding.
Once your resume is written, you will need to market it. There are a
few ways to do this. You can:
- Post
it online so that employers can find you
- Identify
employers that have open positions that you would like to apply for
- Hand/email
your resume to friends that work at companies you would like to work for
- Attend
career fairs and schmooze with Human Resources folk from a lot of
different companies
Here is a short list of job search websites for posting your resume
online. (Many more can be found by searching the Internet):
www.monster.com
www.hotjobs.com
After posting your resume, locate companies that you may be interested
in and submit your resume through their company website. For this
approach, you will have to do some creative searching. Just pull up
your favorite search engine and start looking. When doing
your
brainstorming earlier, you may have listed some jobs that you would
like to do. Start by searching possible position descriptions. i.e.
Accountant, Bookkeeper, Lawyer, Doctor, Dog washer, etc. Then search
for company websites using names of companies in your area or companies
that you would like to work for.
Make about a hundred copies of your hard (printed) copies of your
resume on nice paper. Something off-white and textured usually does the
trick. Strike up conversations with people who work at other companies
and ask about possible openings. Hand copies to these people and follow
up with a soft copy by email. Start networking through your friends and
family first. Ask them if their company has a referrals program.
Sometimes employees can earn money for finding good people and
reminding them of this politely will increase their motivation to help
you.
Some professions hold career fairs where a lot of employers gather to
compete for personnel. The HR folk at these events will take your
resume, speak to you a bit, write notes about you on the back of your
resume and be very polite to you (whether they like you or not).
Whatever happens, remember that confidence is key here. Even if you
misspeak, or do something inappropriate, maintain your composure. Treat
this meeting like an interview and act professionally and you will do
fine.
After some time employers will start to call. This is the telephone
interview. Have your notes from your brainstorming session handy by the
phone. They may come in handy and the person calling can't see that you
are reading from your notes. It is also a good idea to keep paper and a
pen by the phone to jot down notes during the discussion.They may ask
anything during this call and will tell you a lot about the company
they work for. You will want this information and write down everything
you can. It is also a good idea to ask them if they can send you some
information by email about the company before you commit to an
interview.
Never disclose the salary that you are seeking until you have all the
information required to make a decision. This is important and could
ruin your ability to negotiate salary. Save this discussion for the
interview. Just say that you can't give them a concrete number without
having more information about the position and a better understanding
of what the job entails. Then schedule the interview. Make sure that
you get directions, know how to get there, and know how much time it
will take to drive there.
The last step in the process is the interview. Be early for the
interview and don't rush to get there. having time to think about the
interview before going in, will improve your performance.
Also,
be prepared to do multiple interviews. Some employers screen new
employees in a series of interviews with only the best making it in.
It is important to look the part at the interview. Wear business attire
for the interview, even if employees don't dress that way for work.
Even if you are a genius, it doesn't hurt to create a good impression.
It is also a good idea to get a haircut, trim your nails, and present a
clean appearance. In this game, your appearance goes a long way. Also,
be sure to make eye contact and speak confidently. If you don't
understand something, be honest and ask questions. They understand that
you don't know everything. The questions they ask are designed to
determine how much you know. They expect that at some point, you won't
have the answer and will be watching to see how you handle
that.
Keep in mind that they are looking for a model employee and honesty
will go a long way.
Good Luck and Happy Job Hunting!
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