Job Search Aid

Another morning of job hunting lies ahead of you. You pour a cup of coffee and open the paper to the employment section. With a mixture of anticipation and desperation you pick up a stub of pencil and prepare to target and identify some possible career link opportunities.

After making a few phone calls you try to get into a positive frame of mind. You head out the door, a folder of resumes in one hand and a list of addresses at the next. You will drop off a few resumes and have plans for an interview this afternoon.

Maybe something different will happen today

Have you been looking for work for too long now? Have you heard of acquaintances laid off from long-term employment only to find four or five months later that they are still unable to find a job?

If you think the only way to find a job is to have connections, you may be partly right.

With such a demand for employment, many jobs never make it to the paper. How can you compete?
Try networking.

Tell friends, family and acquaintances of your career link search. These people can give you the opportunity to get into their businesses when positions come available.

They may also hear of someone who is hiring and keep you updated on opportunities you may not otherwise have heard about. Their personal referral can also make an impression on the employer in your behalf.

Career job links that are not posted.

You do not have to wait for a job to be listed in the paper, or even posted on the company board, to apply for work at a company.

Go through the phone book and make a list of companies you would like to work for. Call and ask if there are any positions available. Ask for the name of the human resources manager or the individual in charge of hiring for the area you are applying to.

Send a resume and direct it to the person in charge of hiring. Write a cover letter that expresses your interest in the company and why you’d like to work for them. Follow up several days later and ask for the individual. Tell them you’re checking to see that they received your resume and ask if there are any positions that may become available.

If they are not hiring suggest, check back at another time. Often positions are made available unexpectedly and by keeping in contact, you may be the first person that comes to mind.

Choosing a career link great start, but there is a lot more to do after that. A career action plan is a road map that takes you from choosing an occupation to becoming employed in that occupation to reaching your long-term career goals.

While first hand experience is great, there are other ways to explore an occupation. You can read about it either in print resources or online. You can also interview those working in that field.

This is not a secret. If you are not taking advantage, someone else will. You cannot afford to miss out on making yourself known to employers before the job posting is made public.

Accessing this hidden job market for your career link may open up opportunities you never thought possible.

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