How to Find a Job
It's easier to find a job when you have a plan of action. In some fields employment is plentiful, but in other more specialized fields, job openings may be limited. However, with a solid plan, you can conduct a successful search.
Get Yourself a Great Job
Seeking a job can be exciting and stressful at the same time. Most of us, at one point or another, will be looking for employment. Being unemployed may happen on several occasions throughout our careers. We may lose a job and seek employment in the same field, or we are going to try a different one. We may also be trying to advance our careers. No matter what the reason for seeking employment, a job search can be a tedious process. Luckily, with careful planning and some insight, it can be more fruitful rather than worthless.We felt it was necessary to offer some suggestions to those who have no idea how to find a job, preferably a good one. Taking the ideas presented here and combining them with your own provides a customized action plan to advance yourself along the job search path.
Career Help Center
Action Plan to Find a Job
Using the concepts below, you will have ingredients that can be used alone or combined with your ideas to build an action plan to locate positions for which you can apply.- Define Your Skills
Make a list of all the skills you possess from either the education you had or from previous employment. This may seem like an easy task at first, but be careful and think this through. You may not even think of all the skills you possess. If you are completing tasks at your current job or previous jobs that you think are insignificant, think again! Everything you have learned is an asset. After rigorous self-evaluation, you can determine which tasks you are capable of performing. - What Do You Want to Do?
Now that you know what you can do decide what you would like to do. Use these factors to determine what type of work you want to perform.- Educational Qualifications
- Emotional Fulfillment - If you find a job doing something that you like or even love, you will be happy at work, and this will show. That will have a domino effect. You are happy, you do a good job, then your supervisor will be happy with your work as well.
- Salary
- Physical Limitations
- Your Skill Set
- Location
- Places to Look
Now that you have figured out what your abilities are and what you are looking for in a career, the next step is to start your search. So where do you start you ask? Well, below is a list of areas to begin.- Newspaper Classified Ads
- Online Job Post Directories
- Networking- This can be one of the most important aspects of finding a job. In many companies, when a position becomes available, word of mouth can be the best way for an employer to find an employee. That is why leaving a company on good terms is so important. You never know who you may encounter in a new position. Alternatively, you may get reacquainted with someone with whom you used to work. In some fields, this is how many employees are hired.
- Friends and Family
- Social Media
- Past Coworkers- This can go hand in hand with networking. Depending on what field you are in, a great rapport with past or current coworkers can be all that is necessary to get hired at a company.
- Apply Directly to Companies
- Job Fair
- Fine-Tune Your Resume and Cover Letter
When you find a potential prospect, and you wish to apply, please don't send them a generic resume and cover letter. Target the position by tailoring your education and skills to pertain specifically to that individual posting. Potential employers want to know that you will be a good fit. They will look to see if you have the skill set necessary for the job for which you are applying. Finding a new position can be difficult for you, but it is also difficult for a potential employer. They put a lot of time and money into finding the ideal applicant. They want to hire and retain an employee. Keep in mind that they want this to work as much as you do.
Check out our guide for more info about how to target your resume and cover letter optimization.