| 1. |
Assess your skills,
experience and goals, and select appropriate employment fields that
interest you. |
| 2. |
Spread the word. Tell
everyone you know and meet that you are looking for a job—you will be
surprised at the number of opportunities you’ll discover this way. |
| 3. |
Network, network,
network. Attend professional-association meetings in your industry, scour
the associations’ membership directories for contacts, and schedule
informational interviews with people in the field. Always get more names
of people to contact at the end of the informational interview. Volunteer
for something. |
| 4. |
Contact your local or
state employment office, or your college career center, for resources and
leads. |
| 5. |
Get out and about. The
most direct way to learn about job openings is to contact employers
themselves. Target an area downtown, dress the part, and stop in at every
appropriate business establishment, including employment agencies, to fill
out an application. |
| 6. |
Remember that many job
openings are not listed in the newspaper help-wanted section. However,
Internet job boards are often used by employers for their ease and
immediacy. |
| 7. |
Pick up the phone.
Yes, it’s scary, and yes, you’ll hear “No” a lot, but you only
need a handful of “Yeses” to land a job. |
| 8. |
Follow up on written
contacts. Send out résumés if you must, and you’ll certainly fill out
applications, but these alone won’t get your face in the place. Follow
up with a phone call within five to seven days of every written
communication. |
| 9. |
Ask for interviews. If
you find yourself interviewing for a position that’s not for you (or
with an interviewer who obviously doesn’t think you’re right for the
opening), ask for interviews with other department heads or even with
other companies that the interviewer may know are hiring. |
| 10. |
Prepare. Do some
research the hiring company and its industry so that you’ll have a stock
of relevant questions to ask the person across the desk. |
| 11. |
Give the impression
that you’re ready to be part of the team. |
| 12. |
Send a thank-you note
after the interview. E-mail is acceptable. |
| 13. |
Call your interviewer
three days later and ask if there is any more information you can provide. |