What is the most successful way to conduct a job search?

Question

..And get a job?

Answer 1

2 KEYS TO SUCCESS:

1.) Know what you want to do. You won't get any where, and no one will be able to help you, unless you know what you want to do.

2.) Ask people who's hiring people for the kind of job you want. (If you are currently employed, do this very carefully.)

I often interview people about how they landed their jobs, and most often, it is through relationships they have with people already working for the employer. Also known as "networking." Other methods do work, but networking is the one most often mentioned.

So - unless you are employed! - make sure everyone knows that you are job hunting and what you are looking for! I have seen connections made at at funeral (yes, a funeral!) that resulted in job offers and employment when former co-workers met at the funeral of another former co-worker. You never know who is working for an employer who is hiring - unless you ask!

If you are employed, be careful. People get fired for looking for another job outside the current employer's organization. Why? Because it's human nature to view your job search as "disloyalty."

Research online which employers hire people doing what you want to do. Indeed.com is a great place to do this.

Contacts:

* If you've graduated from college, or even just attended college or some other post-high school educational institution, they probably have a career center and you are probably entitled to use it. Check! You'll find help with your resume, etc, as well as connections to other "alums"

* Ask your family and friends about jobs with their employers, assuming they work for an employer who needs someone like you and for whom you would like to work.

* Track down former co-workers and former bosses. Where are they working? Would you like to work there, too? Contact your former co-worker/boss and see if anything is available.

* People at your church, synagog, temple, etc. Where do they work and would you like to work there, too?

* Your state employment office, assuming that you are in the USA, can be a great source of information and assistance. People there will help you with your resume and connecting with employers. They may also have tests you can take to see what jobs would be good for you, classes for you to attend on interviewing, etc. Find a list of state employment offices at - http://www.job-hunt.org/state_unemployment_offices.shtml

* The Internet can also provide you with information on who is hiring, and can be a good way to initiate contact with a potential employer. Three of the best sites are:
1.) http://www.indeed.com - an aggregator of jobs, collecting them from sites like Monster, HotJobs, and CareerBuilder as well as from employer Websites.
2.) http://www.craigslist.org - a giant online classifieds sites with both "jobs" and "gigs" (gigs are usually short term projects).
3.) http://www.job-hunt.org - a giant directory of employers, online classifieds, and other job sites.

Good luck with your job search!

Answer 2

It depends if you are unemployed or not.

If you are unemployed, you should look at finding a job as a full time job. Spend at least 6 hours per day job hunting - that means going for interviews, applying for jobs, following up on applications. Try cold calling companies that you think you would like to work for. Ask for their HR department, and tell them you are looking for work, and can you send through your resume.

Make yourself available - don't decide you'll go to the movies, or go away for a couple of days during the week.

Let people know you're looking for a job. As the previous answerer said - network.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Networking, 80% of openings aren't posted, thats how I got mine