To Be Successful - Organize Your Job Search

• Sources of Job Leads
• Organizing Your Search
• Identifying Your Skills Inventory
• The Super Sales Pitch

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Sources for Job Leads

Okay, you've finished the seventh change to your resume, your cover letter is as good as it's going to get, you have all the skills required for the job, and your sales pitch impresses your friends - now what ? It's time to look for those job leads.

Ideally we could access one huge database on which all currently available jobs are posted. Well, it doesn't exist. Even the largest jobs database available on the Internet contains only a small percentage of all the current open positions. Employers post job openings in a variety of ways. It is part of your job as a Job Seeker to track these down. Don't overlook these resources:

Registering with the state employment services. This can be accomplished at any of Texas' Workforce offices. Newspapers are a great place to look for a job. Look up their employment classifieds on the Internet and save some $$. Don't concentrate only on Sunday's paper - read them everyday. You never know when an ad may appear and you don't want to be the last one to find out about it. Temporary and Placement Agencies are valuable contacts. Many companies use them exclusively to hire their employees. Although some jobs may be temporary, they do enable you to bring home a paycheck and gain valuable work experience. Be aware that some of them charge a fee. Networking. Arguably THE best tool ! Employers look favorably on job seekers who someone they know recommended to them. Let people know you are looking for a job. Many jobs are filled through word of mouth which lead to contacts, which lead to interviews and jobs. Who is a contact? Any person that has information about a job. Use your friends, relatives, family members, and anyone else you can recruit to be your search agents. Remember, they'll probably be just as happy as you when you finally get that job. Internet. Wow - what a resource! At first, most of the positions posted on the Internet were highly technical. That has changed as more organizations, employers, and state and federal agencies have developed their own web sites. This has led to an explosion of available job postings for just about any kind of position, anywhere in the world. There is one drawback. You may have to surf through countless web sites, each promising to have the best and most current employment leads and information. Be ready to spend the necessary time since you never know around which corner that job lead you are looking for may pop up. To help you in your search we've linked some of our favorite sites in our Where the Jobs Are section. Cold Contact. This is where you send your resume or otherwise contact an employer without knowing whether they have a current job opening. It can work - but either your resume has to be real sharp or your contact has to be timed just right so that it occurs when a job opens but before the employer advertises the position. It's a gamble - but what have you got to lose?

Other sources of job leads are: College Placement Offices Professional and Trade Associations Career Days or Job Fairs Internships and Co-ops Periodicals and Publications Labor Unions Alumni Associations

You get the idea. Remember - use as many sources as you can, because you never know from which source your dream job will come.

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Now, Let's Get Organized

The job search process is really pretty simple. It's getting the results that is the difficult part. In this section we are going to give you some guidance in the process - but, remember - it's your follow-up techniques and the effort that you expend that will get you that job.

First, decide on the type of job you are looking for. Don't, don't, don't, make the mistake of just going after anything that you may remotely qualify for. Be Specific. A targeted job hunt is much more productive than wasting your time chasing leads that won't work out. Research the job so that you will know the skills necessary for that position. It can happen that you are interested in several types of jobs. That's OK. Just concentrate on one at a time. Easy hint - pick your favorite one first. Second, identify all of your available skills that would help you qualify for that job. (If you find that your skills do not match job requirements, you may want to investigate available training activities at our school.) But - you most probably have more skills than you realize. Don't sell yourself short. Third, write them down . Put all of your available skills for the position on paper. Our minds sometimes wander and it gets easy to forget things. From this information you will develop your marketing tools. Next, pick the geographic location you want to concentrate on. It can be a neighborhood, a city, or another country. Concentrating on a specific location will allow you to more easily identify the employers looking for your specific skills and research them thoroughly. What happens if you exhaust all of the employers in your chosen territory and you still don't have a job? Change territories. Identify the employers in your chosen geographic area that offer the type of position you are looking for. Get names, addresses, any information that you can on them. Develop you marketing material. This includes your resume, cover letters, your telephone pitch, your networking contacts, references, and most of all, your Sales Pitch. The sales pitch should be a short summary of your talents. Just like the advertising you see on tv, you need something that will catch the employer's attention. Market yourself. Send out those resumes, knock on doors, make those telephone calls, network with anyone who may be able to help you. Keep records. To many of us this is boring, but it is so necessary. Keep track of: When and to whom you mailed resumes. This will keep you from being surprised and unprepared when a employer contacts you several weeks later. The people you contact. Get names, job titles, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. Follow-up contacts. Record dates and times when it will be necessary for you to return phone calls, initiate follow-up contacts, send thank-you notes, etc. Interview results. After leaving interviews, make notes on how you believe the interview went. Note questions you had problems answering, points you should have made - but forgot (our mind is such a wonderful tool), physical mannerisms you should change or modify, etc. Schedule Your Time. Without some kind of plan you're going to waste a lot of time and effort. Set up a schedule and Stick To It! Here is an example - but set up a schedule that best suits you. Mondays - Attack all newspaper ads, Sundays are the ones to look for. However, a quick peek at newspapers everyday is not a bad idea. Network and do some cold contacting. Tuesdays - Check with the state employment services and Workforce Centers and do job matching with a employment service representative. Do a little research. Find the companies in your chosen area that offer the type of job that you are looking for. Wednesdays - Surf the Internet. Look at over the job banks, research information about companies you are interested in, and perhaps submit your resume on-line. If you're looking for jobs in a different city, state, or country, check the net for quality-of-life information (real estate, schools, temporary lodging, banks, etc.). Thursday - Check Temporary Agencies and "Headhunters." Make them work! Make contacts and try to get those interviews. Check the net one more time to see if there is anything that you've missed before. Friday - Take the day off! If you've worked hard all week at getting a job, you deserve it. Besides, when you start working again, it will be a long time before you get another three-day weekend. Use this time to do something constructive for your personal of family life.

Without a plan or schedule, you will bounce around doing various job searches and wonder why at the end of the day you never get anything accomplished. Remember, don't give up! It is a numbers game. The more quality contacts you make, the more interviews you will get and the faster you will be employed. It is a full-time job to find a job.

Ace that Interview. Take the time to prepare yourself for the event. IT IS THE INTERVIEW THAT GETS YOU THE JOB !! Remember, everyone the employer interviews most likely has the qualifications for the job, otherwise why interview them?. It is your responsibility to convince him/her that you can best get the job done. No fooling, it does take a lot of preparation. Come by our Career Center to gather more information and talk to one of our Career Specialists.

OK - now you've followed this advice but are still unemployed? Well, here are some options:

Have you identified the right skills in your inventory? Work on your interviewing techniques (Is this your weak point?). Choose a different job/occupation to apply for. (Again, make sure you have the necessary skills.) Choose a different geographic area.

For full information on any of these topics, come by our Career Centers and speak with a Career Specialist.

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The Super Sales Pitch

As each product on the marketplace has its own distinct packaging and selling points designed to catch the consumer's eye, job seekers must also design a package and key selling points to interest the interviewer. You've got to show them you've got to offer.

The packaging consists of both the first impression you create when you walk in the door in regards to dress and appearance, and the "selling points" (your list of job-related, transferable, and self-management skills) that you select to put you in the most favorable light with the interviewer.

The best way to achieve this is to create a summary skills paragraph that will allow you to present your skills in a organized, concise manner. This exercise will show you how to construct such a paragraph. Note: This paragraph will allow you to answer several difficult interviewing questions by using all, or some, of the statements that you will include in the paragraph. Some of the interviewing questions to use this on are:

Tell me about yourself. Why should I hire you ? What are your greatest strengths ? What can you offer this company ?

Creating this summary statement of your skills also lets you keep all of your conversations, either in person or by phone, concise, brief, and to the point. The worst thing you can do in talking with someone about a job is not communicating your skills properly and rambling.

Note:  Keep everything in your statement job-related. If you talk about anything that is not job-related you are wasting your time and the interviewer's time.

Information to be Included State type of work wanted Expand your job title State total amount of experience State where you got the experience Create skill linkage

(Numbers 6-9 are only used if you are a recent graduate and are using your education as qualifying experience.) Specify post-high school education State school name Specify GPA (only if 3.0+) Specify supporting course work Specify 5-7 job related skills Specify 3-7 transferable skills Indicate your reliability Specify 3-7 self-management skills Indicate a level of loyalty Give question back to interviewer

The following is a response model showing you several ways to phrase your sales pitch. This is only meant to give you an example. Putting it in your own words will make it sound more natural.

Note:  Keep the length to a maximum of two minutes. If you speak longer than that, the listener's attention span fades.

Response Model I'm (interested in working as; excited about working as a; trained to work as a) I'd also consider other types of (related; comparable; similar) work. I have  (years, months) of (actual, combined, related, similar) experience gained from my (paid work, previous employment, volunteer, educational, military, related life) experiences where I used (similar, related, comparable) skills. I have a (certificate, diploma, degree) in from school name. While at school name, I had a GPA average. I've also taken classes in I can (or know how to) list 5-7 job related skills I can also specify 3-7 transferable skills. I can work (all shifts, nights, weekends, overtime) and I (can relocate, have reliable transportation). I consider myself a... (or think of myself as...) specify 3-7 self-management skills . I'm looking (for a career; for a company where loyalty is appreciated; a place where I can work with people who will help me grow in my new job; etc.) What else would you like to know about me or would you like me to give you examples of when I used my skills?

Example:

"I'm interested in working as a bookkeeper. I'd also consider other types of related work. I have over three years experience gained from my paid work, volunteer and educational experiences where I've used similar skills. I've earned an accounting technology certificate from Luckenbach College. While at Luckenbach, I had a 3.6 GPA. I've also taken bookkeeping and computer operations courses. I can operate the IBM PC. I know how to use the Microsoft and Corel Suites software. I'm able to maintain payables and receivables, post invoices, keep tax and payroll records and track inventory. I can also analyze problems, direct others, and cope with deadlines. I can work all shifts including weekends, holidays, and overtime (note: be realistic in this). I consider myself honest. I'm a self-starter, detail oriented, and a team player. I'm looking for a career with your company. What else would you like to know about me, or would you like me to give you examples of when I've used my skills?"

You get the idea - put it in your own words so that it will sound natural. Practice it a few times, and never be stuck for words again. Use bits and pieces in other of your answers to the interview questions. The more you repeat something, the more likely they are to remember.

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