
Finding a Job
You know exactly what kind of career you want. Your resume is
perfect. You've forced your friends to spend hours asking you practice interview
questions. Everything is in order - except you don't know how to go about
finding the job openings.
The first step is to shift your networking skills into high gear. Start asking
friends and family members to ask their co-workers, friends, hairdressers,
optometrists, accountants, and other acquaintances if they've either heard of
any available, relevant job openings, or if they know of someone to whom you
ought to talk.
Another good way to make connections is to contact your college alumni office or
career services center to see if either has a list of alumni who have
volunteered to serve as mentors and contacts to young jobseekers.
Also, if you've held internships in the past, get in touch with your employers
and co-workers from those experiences and ask if they can point you in the right
direction.
While there's truth to the adage that the best jobs are never advertised, that
doesn't mean you can't find a good job outside the networking realm:
Check out Internet job listings.
Go to trade websites for the career field in which you're interested. Often,
occupations have professional associations with websites that include job
listings. If you don't know the name of the association or trade organization
that unifies your potential colleagues, do a search or ask someone in the field.
Those websites are also an excellent way to cull contact names.
Go to job fairs. You can usually find advertisements for job fairs in your local
newspaper.
Visit the websites of companies for which you would like to work. See if they
have any job listings posted within the site. If you're interested in working
for a medium- or large-sized company, call the human resources departments of
potential employers and ask if they have any job openings.
Read the classified section of the newspaper. If you want to relocate, find out
what newspapers serve the places you'd like to live and then browse those
papers' classified sections on the web. The most important thing to remember is
that the job search is often like a roller coaster ride. You might find some
great opportunities, only to find that positions have been filled. And, in turn,
you might investigate something you don't think you're interested in, only to
strike a gold mine. The important thing is to keep you head up, and keep pushing
forward. As long as you're persistent and patient, you will either find a good
job, or you'll find a job that will serve as a transitional job that will open
doors for you.

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