How to Conduct a Job Search
by: Jeremy LaDart
Conducting a job search is a daunting task, even for seasoned professionals. There are many pieces to the puzzle, and each piece plays its own important role in the process. Knowing the pieces of the process is a crucial element for your success.
While there is no such thing as doing too much, there is a basic guide to follow. It consists of five painless steps that will outline your work ahead. Together, they form the foundation of a job hunt that will yield exceptional results.
1. Put together a great resume.
Before your job search ever begins, you need a resume. The resume is the first contact you will have with a prospective employer. It is an extension of your life and a summary of your accomplishments. It is how a manager will pick you out of hundreds?possibly thousands of applicants. It can mean the difference between exciting job interviews and a phone that never rings, between success and failure.
This is a complex task for two pages (maximum) of paper. That?s right, two little pages to talk about your education, job experience, accomplishments and awards, special skills, training, professional experience/affiliation, and so on. Basically, you need to sum up your life, and make it interesting, in two pages.
There are numerous websites that can help with writing a bullet proof resume. Some offer free information and examples for you to follow, and some will write the resume for you (for a fee of course). Careerbuilder.com is the best website on the net for writing and posting your resume.
Professional resume writing, when done by a human resource expert, can give you a significant edge over the competition. You can expect to pay $100 or more for this service, and can be well worth the money. However, before hiring someone to write it for you be sure to check their credentials.
2. Determine the locations you may want to live.
Once you have your resume polished and shiny, its time to think about where you want to live. Determining a location can have a significant impact on your income earning potential. Some jobs are concentrated in certain areas and the pay can be dramatically more than where you live. For example, the vast majority of computer programming jobs in the U.S. are in Silicon Valley, California. Jobs there can pay up to five times more than other parts of the country.
Unfortunately, pay isn?t everything. To accurately assess your situation, other factors must come into play. Cost of living, for example, can be dramatically different from one city to another. A $50,000 a year income in Mobile, Alabama is equal to over $122,350 in Manhattan, New York, a 145% increase.
Other factors, such as quality of schools, real estate, environmental quality, quality of life, and proximity to friends and family should also be evaluated. These factors are more difficult to measure than cost of living. Not having your mom to watch the kids can cost you thousands of dollars a year and must be a part of your decision. Write down pros and cons for each factor and take a look at the entire picture.
3. Put Out the Word.
Once you have a resume and decide your desired location, its time to get hustling. The most important place to start, and the most often overlooked place, is your network. Your network is the group of family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances that make up your life. They are the backbone of your search and a great source of information and leads.
The big advantage of your network is that it is compiled with people who already know you. Depending on your relationship, many people in your network will feel a vested interest in your success, and will go out of their way to help. If they come in contact with a potential employer, they can vouch for your character and work ethic on the spot and help you leap to the top of the prospect pool.
4. Look Online
With the advent of the internet, the first place many job seekers look for job listings is now online on the internet. There are more job search websites than you know what to do with and each one is telling you they are the best. The truth is they are.
Careerbuilder.com is the best job search website online. They have great tips, will write your resume and cover letter for, and get you job hunting in minutes. Careerbuilder will match you with employers looking for your, not a random list of jobs.
You can find more by going to Google.com and doing a search for ?jobs?. The key to successfully using these websites is being systematic. Pick a time everyday when you can spend time working online (example: from 2pm to 6pm daily). Start a daily journal and write down what job search sites you visit and the job listings you apply to. This journal will keep you from back tracking and can save you hours of time.
5. Look Offline
Do not overlook the tried and true ways of finding a job. Get the daily newspaper and other classified periodicals to look for listings. Also, get a copy of the Sunday edition from the papers in the locations you are interested in living. Be mindful of signs and conversations everywhere you go, and let new contacts know you are on the hunt.
Jeremy LaDart
About The Author
Jeremy LaDart is an economist with a passion for personal finance. In his spare time he runs http://www.moneytopics101.com. CopyRight2005 JML Enterprises, LLC.
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Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
by: Larry Washington
A Microsoft Word resume template could be one of your biggest investments in terms of your career.
Why?
Experts say you only have about 7 seconds to catch the eye of the interviewer. Yes, only seven seconds!
A Word resume template can be a good way of accomplishing this. The goal of your resume will always be to get interviews.
Let me rephrase that.
The goal of your resume will be to get the job, but before you can get the job you have to get the interview.That's why it's important that your resume must be capable of pulling the hiring manager in and say to them:
?I?m the one for the job.?
When you can create such an "eye-catching" resume as this, any interviewer will view you as a must-have candidate for the job.
A Word resume template will enable you to create such a visual appearance. You have your information - you just need to add...
Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
Sample resume > Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
Teacher - Learn How To Write The Best Resume You Can
Teacher - Learn How To Write The Best Resume You Can
by: Laura Adams
It should come as no surprise that there is a currently a shortage of teachers in the United States.
This unfortunate trend has been seen for well over a decade.
To compound the issue, recent labor studies have predicted that teaching positions will likely continue to grow faster than the national average for the next several years due to recent government regulations to reduce class size and increase educational accountability.
The need for teachers has never been greater.
Though this trend is good news for teachers on the job market, it does not diminish the fact that competition will remain tough for the most desirable teaching positions.
Competition is especially fierce for English, Social Science, Humanities, and Elementary grade positions.
Teacher will need to pay close attention to the presentation of their credentials, as...
Sample resume > Teacher - Learn How To Write The Best Resume You Can
Three Ways To Jumpstart Your IT Career
Three Ways To Jumpstart Your IT Career
by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
We all get stuck in ruts from time to time, and that happens on the job as well.
You've thought about doing something different with your information technology career, but just haven't quite gotten around to it yet.
Sound familiar?
You can make 2006 the best year yet for your IT career.
There are several simple steps you can take to accelerate your career - but you have to take the step, not just think about it!
Learn something new.
One of the biggest reasons you get tired of a job is that you're doing the same thing every day.
If you happen to love what you do, that's great, but if not it's time to break out of the box.
Besides, learning a new skill adds value to your career.
If you've been doing server work for a long time, take the time to learn some Cisco skills.
If you're an Exchange specialist,...
Sample resume > Three Ways To Jumpstart Your IT Career
No Clips? No Problem!
No Clips? No Problem!
by: Brandi Rhoades
Writers who have no clips often believe that they cannot get work. That leads them to accepting underpaid and unappreciated jobs that in the end will not put them in a better position to land better gigs. If you are in that position, you have options! Don?t settle for jobs that aren?t worth your time. Instead work on making yourself more marketable.
1) Find the right markets.
Locate a couple of markets that work with new writers. You can find them by searching online using ?welcomes new writers? or ?new or experienced writers? and similar phrases. You will come up with magazines and e-zines that will be happy to give an opportunity to someone without any publishing credits. Start by studying these publications. See what they want and then work up a good query for them.
2) Write on spec.
?On spec? is writer-speak for ?on speculation.? You write the full article and send it to a market...
No Clips? No Problem!
Sample resume > No Clips? No Problem!
Five Mistakes That Can Derail Your Job Search
Five Mistakes That Can Derail Your Job Search
by: Ruth Anderson
No matter how much time and energy you invest in job seeking, critical mistakes can derail your efforts.
Consider the following job search scenario.
Each of the mistakes described below can put your job search off track, but all are easy to avoid.
Mistake #1: Starting with a Handicap
Your job search is underway.
Time to get out your resume, dust it off, and add your most recent experience? Right?
Wrong.
A strong job search starts with strategizing, and a strong resume should be the vehicle to put your strategy into action.
It isn't enough to dust off an old resume ? you need a revised resume that is tailored to a specific position and a specific employer.
Ask yourself? What are the top needs and preferences of this employer?
How can you address the employer?s needs with specific information about your...
Sample resume > Five Mistakes That Can Derail Your Job Search