Job Hunting 2010: Sources and Tips for your Job Search

Job Hunting 2010

Unemployment is rising and many companies are cutting their workforces by 10 percent, 20 percent or more. Searching for a job under such conditions takes an already difficult task of finding a suitable employer and creates a seemingly impossible environment for finding work. Consider the following sources and tips for finding good job leads.

Friends, relatives, and acquaintances Be sure to inform others that you're looking for work. Write or print-out some personal cards with your name and number to give to acquaintances when you mention that you're looking for employment. Send a brief email to your address list stating you're searching for a position.

Google Yourself. Employers Will.

Many companies will search Google and other search engines to find out about a candidate. You'll want to make sure that any information about yourself, is appropriate or advantageous to your job search.

Internet Job Boards There are thousands of job boards; some are general purpose such as monster.com, careerbuilder.com, Yahoo! hotjobs, Jobing.com, Beyond.com, Job.com, or career or industry oriented such as Dice for computer professionals, snagajob.com for hourly workers. Many of the niche boards can be found at The Riley Guide or job-hunt.org.

Job Board Search Tips

Enter keywords you'd expect to find in the ads. Don't describe of the type of ads you want to see. Don't enter "all", "any", "it", "cool", "fun", "dream", etc.
Use location criteria as directed. Entering a city and state may not return results for surrounding areas or alternate spellings if entered in the keyword field. Make sure to select the maximum distance your willing to travel.
Use keywords creatively. Enter names of software products you've used. "PowerPoint" to indicate public speaking skills, but not "Office" because the word doesn't always mean the software product. Some occupations can be searched directly ("attorney OR lawyer"), others need a bit of consideration to ensure that all relevant ads are shown ("ten key" OR "10 key" OR WPM). Find possible keywords by examining other relevant ads.
Be careful with job category, minimum pay, and maximum education criteria. When used, some job boards don't list relevant ads that are missing these details.
Use OR (in uppercase) to include alternate word forms. "pharmacy tech" OR "pharmacy technician". "mail clerk" AND (parttime OR part-time OR "part time").

Internet Job Search Engines These site may seem similar to job boards, but are actually search engines that automatically index jobs found on other job boards or company websites. These are an excellent starting point as they can save having to visit many different web sites. Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com, and Jobster.com are the current favorites. Once you verify that a job board is indexed by a job search engine, there shouldn't be a need to search the job board separately.

State Employment Service (Job Banks) Nearly every state has a job bank through the state employment agency. Some of these jobs are not listed anywhere else. Searches can be conducted on the web, or in a job service office. Often you'll be asked to meet with a career counselor before being referred to an employer. jobbankinfo.org

Governments and Schools Federal, state and local government shouldn't be overlooked. usajobs.gov lists federal civil service positions. Be sure to browse state, city and county websites and look for the career or employment section. K-12 and colleges are also good places to look.

Newspaper Classifieds Be sure to check your local papers ads each day. The Sunday edition usually has the most listings. Respond quickly to relevant ads. Your local papers may have online classifieds--often these are in association with one of the larger job boards, be sure to check whether newspaper ads are included or in a separate classified search. Be sure to check all the newspapers in your area as some employers only place ads in one paper. Check usnpl.com for papers you've forgotten.

Track your Job Leads

If you get to the interview stage, you'll want to have the original ad, a copy of the résumé and cover letter as submitted. Keeping a list of companies and positions you've applied for will prevent reapplying based on a separate ad

School Career Centers Some high schools and most colleges and universities have resources for former students. These include job search tools not available publically, career information, lists of major employers in your area as well as information or help with your Résumé or interview skills.

Employment Services These companies are in the business of connecting people with jobs. They are an excellent way to earn while looking for a permanent job and some employers recruit their temporary workers.

Employers Identify local employers and visit their website to find job opportunities. Cold calling employers can be stressful, but occasionally leads to job offers and often provides useful information. To find list of local employers search for "employer lists" and the name of your city or state. Searching Google Maps for terms such as "corp" or "inc" and your city and state or zip code can reveal smaller companies in your area.

Thanks to Bureau of Labor Statistics "Job Search Methods" for a comprehensive list of sources.