Tips For The Job Searcher

I've searched for a few jobs in my time, and I've interviewed
many hundreds of people. Here are some things that I've learned
which have had great success. I hope they are of value to any
job searchers.

Treat job hunting as a full time occupation - If you are
currently unemployed and can physically (or mentally) work,
then there is absolutely no excuse for not spending every
waking moment looking for a job. You can read want ads over
breakfast, go on an interview in the morning, spend lunch on
the phone scheduling a couple more interview for later in the
week, go on another interview in the afternoon and write a few
letters over dinner. After dinner, you can surf the internet
researching your career, locale and companies. The point is,
there is nothing more important than finding a job - it is the
basis of survival. Treat it as such.

Research - Spend your evenings doing research about potential
employers. First you are looking for companies who need to hire
someone with your qualifications. This is your first research
task. Once you find some companies, schedule some interviews.
When you talk to the receptionist on the phone, you could ask
her to send you a brochure or some information about the
company (if the interview is soon you could pick it up the
day before if possible). You can get on the internet in the
evening and see if any articles have been written about the
company. Remember to check various sources to see if the
company is financially sound - you don't want to get employed
only to be laid off a month later if you can help it! Also find
out the names of as many corporate executives as possible, but
make sure your information is current.

What do you need this information for? The data has many
values: first, you could find out the company does not meet
your needs and not waste your time on an interview. Having
information makes you more powerful during the interview
process, as you will not be going in ignorant of what's going
on. Finally, you can use this information to convince your
interviewer that you are qualified for the position.

Contacts - The plain fact of the matter is, scanning the
newspaper want ads is perhaps the least successful method of
job hunting. Sending out hundreds of resumes simply does not
work well either. In fact, the best way to get a job is through
personal contacts.

What does this mean? You need to get on the phone, get in your
car or bicycle or whatever, and talk to people. If an interview
does not work out, you call the person back and ask them if they
know of someone else who needs your skills. Ask the
receptionist, ask the human resources person, ask anyone who
will talk to you. Open your mouth and get friendly with people.
Once you get to know them a bit (which could be after five
minutes of conversation or several hours, depending upon the
person), ask if they know of anyone who needs your skills. If
they say "no", fine. On the other hand, you will occasionally
get a contact. Now, that's how you find a good job!

Go on at least one interview per weekday - Try and schedule an
interview, no matter how much of a stretch, every single day.
In this case, more is better. Each interview is an opportunity
to get a job, or, just as importantly, a potential source for
leads to other contacts and interviews.

Treat "no" as an opportunity - It is inevitable that you will
get a "no" now and then. In fact, you might get tens or even
hundreds of them. It's often a good idea to call the person who
interviewed you to talk to them. On the surface, you are asking
why you didn't get the job: but in reality, you are asking them
for information. The primary purpose of talking to them is
simple: "do you know of anyone else who could use a person like
me?" Sometimes you will get a "no", and sometimes you will get
a name and phone number.

Control your interviews - Most people go into a job interview
in a passive, controlled state. They answer some questions,
take a few tests perhaps and fill in a few forms. Virtually
everything is under the control of the job seeker.

I've found a more assertive approach can be more fruitful, and
certainly it feels more fulfilling. Go into the interview with a
pad of paper and writing materials. Be sure the pad has a list of
questions for your potential employer, as well as some notes about
their company. When you meet the employer, introduce yourself
assertively. Listen well, but also ask lots of questions and, most
importantly, show off your knowledge of the company, position and
if possible, your interviewer. Show the person you have done your
homework.

Search for the problems - Find out what kind of problems your
potential employer is attempting to solve. Ideally, you should try
and do some of this before the interview (with good research) if
you can. However, it's perfectly acceptable to ask the interviewer
about the position and about the situation. Once you find out what
they are attempting to solve by hiring you, then you can inform
them how you can help them solve those problems.

Build a rapport - Be friendly and listen. Listen well. Keep your
ears peeled for anything which you and your interviewer have in
common. For example, if you determine that he likes opera and you
just saw "Cats", then you might get into a discussion about it.
Back off fast if you find it's not a good subject - otherwise, be
animated and happy about it. Why are you doing this? Because a
huge part of the interview process is the interviewer is
determining if you are someone he or she wants to work with. By
having common likes (or dislikes) you make yourself more friendly
to them.

An example - Let's say you are being interviewed for an accounting
position. You got the reference from an interview a few days ago,
and the person who referred you explained the last person left
without notice, and they needed someone who could figure out the
mess fast. The night before the interview, you check out the
company on the internet and find out some basic facts (what it
does, how many employees and so on). While waiting in the lobby,
you talk to the receptionist and find out the person doing your
interview likes movies, especially science fiction movies.

When you get to the interview, you can use the information about
movies and science fiction to relax your interviewer and get into
some conversation. Now as the interviewer explains what the job is
about and asks the usual questions, you can mention that you are
very good at stepping into chaotic situations and organizing them.
If you have past experience at this, you should mention it. Drop
some facts about the company into the conversation as well to show
you are informed and care. You might give some examples of how you
got handed a project from someone who dropped the ball (but do not
criticize anyone) and brought it to successful conclusion.

Conclusions - Finding a new job can be a demanding, difficult
task. You must treat it with the priority it deserves and get out
there and hussle. Reading the want ads is the worst way to look
for jobs - and personal contacts are the best way. Go on, put on
your walking shoes and pound the pavement. There is no better way
to find a job.