Necessary Evils and Hail Mary Passes
Okay, so for whatever reason, you are looking for a job. Your first inclination is to round up the usual suspects: online job boards, newspaper classifieds and career fairs. I would lump them all as necessary excursions into frustration. Why do I say that? I say that because everyone else is doing the same thing - especially now! I read recently that in 2001 there had been over 1,000,000 layoffs nationwide. That’s a lot of people looking for work at the same time and a LOT of competition for a seemingly small plate of opportunities. Not a lot of fun for jobseekers, but a treasure trove for employers. As such, employers are demanding more from candidates and paying less, a practice that will surely bite them in the boom-boom when the economy flips back. (How totally opposite from the dot-com days is this? Back in the day, employers were willing to give up their firstborns for a senior management and/or technical dreamteam; sigh, but I digress.)
NEWSPAPER CLASSIFIEDS
If you are searching for a gig in the newspaper classifieds, what can I tell you? Try to get the paper early, respond early (or anytime during the day a classified section is published) and your resume will be one of many atop a stack of faxed resumes or resumes that have been e-mailed in.
ONLINE JOB BOARDS
If you are searching for a job on one of the job boards, then good luck to you. This method is a tough way to find employment and one I would not be so crazy about as everyone with access to the Net is looking at these jobs. Not only that, but people who cannot find a job in their city are looking at these jobs. And not only them, but people who are looking at the same jobs that I am looking at, who are open to relocation, have already sent in their resumes and the job may not even be legitimate.
Hmmm… maybe “legitimate” is not the right word. Let me go with the word “active.” It is a common practice among employers and agencies to leave certain jobs posted, eventhough they are not actively hiring for that position. Why? Just because they do not need that skillset now, does not mean that they will not need it later. This is especially true of recruiting agencies that specialize in a particular field, say… Accounting, for example. If a firm concentrates on accounting, then they will ALWAYS advertise for accountants, as they never know when they may need one with your background. Which is not a quick fix for you, but a one-day, possibly-maybe kind of thing and depending on your situation; this could be an added frustration. Be that as it may, submit your resume anyway as you never know.
CAREERFAIRS
If you have flipped the paper and scanned the online boards, then career fairs are another must-do. The frustration factor here is contingent on how many others show up, but at least you get face time with various company representatives. This is BY FAR the better alternative to blindly faxing or e-mailing a resume to an unknown gatekeeper of information who could care less for your individual plight. At least with this option, you have quality time to present yourself in a professional, persistent and personable manner. The flipside to this is that you are sharing your quality time with several others who are also competing for the Mr./Ms/ Mrs. Congeniality prize.
If you know it’s going to be packed, get there early. If it’s a careerfair with a low turnout, then good for you! Recruiters on-site will probably be bored and will want to talk your ear off just to stay awake. Find out what is REALLY going on at the company you are curious about and either save yourself some trouble or make a contact that will prove advantageous later.
HAIL MARY!
A fourth alternative is the old “Hail Mary” play. For those who may not know, the Hail Mary play is a last ditch effort to win a football game, and is generally used in desperation. A quarterback would toss the football in the general direction of where a receiver would be and if luck is with him, a touchdown is made just as the clock runs out. There are Hail Mary ways of getting a job, for example: The Door-To-Door Salesman routine. That is when you dress up in your best business suit and armed with an empty briefcase, legal pad or similar accessory, you canvas an office park. At each office you inquire as to what positions are open, try to get an HR representative to see you on no-notice and when that fails, you leave your resume with the receptionist. Sound familiar? Here is another one. Spamming for dollars!
RESUME BROADCASTING
There are several resume services online that will broadcast your resume to thousands of recruiters who have signed up to receive them. Recruiters get your information for free, but you have to pay. So what’s wrong with that? Broadcasting resumes is a practice that was popular before the economy slumped. I signed up for a few of these services and the types of resumes I wanted barraged me, but moreso I received resumes I neither wanted nor read. I eventually unsubscribed from the various services. I have seen fees range from 50 bucks to 100 bucks and even higher than that and all paid by the jobseeker. Not a necessary practice but you never know; some folks swear by them.
Okay, are you depressed now? Have I sufficiently rained on your parade? I hope not. My reason for telling you all of the above is so that you can get focused on what you need to do. The classifieds, the job boards and the job fairs are all things you must do to get your resume circulating and increase your chance of employment. However, please DO NOT make the mistake of ending your efforts with just these four avenues. That would be bad.
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Hi!I got the most reliable information about choosing the right career is a very crucial decision. However, many students are unable to decide or choose the appropriate field for a successful career.Thanks!